Lesson 2
BAGB 2123
Talent Acquisition
Management
External
Recruitment
Open versus targeted
Recruitment, Applicant
reactions to job, recruiters,
and process, Applicant
sourcing – Individual, social
and organizational
Benefits:
Why This It brings new resources and novel ideas, provides fresh
Lesson perspectives to the organization, and offers a larger pool
of candidates.
• External recruitment
involves filling a
vacancy with a
candidate from outside
the organization,
Challenges:
potentially including
those from rival Longer process compared to internal recruitment. Requires
companies. more time for screening and evaluation.
Key Concept: Factors
Influencing External
Recruitment
• Company Reputation: A strong
reputation attracts more applicants.
Companies with a good image have a
wider reach and more candidates
interested in applying.
• Considerations: Recruiting from
outside the organization brings new
ideas, but also the time investment to
integrate new talent.
Recruitment:
Aligning with Strategic Goals
• Definition:
Recruitment attracts potential employees with the necessary Knowledge,
Skills, Abilities, and Other characteristics (KSAOs) to help the organization
achieve its strategic goals.
Key Focus:
• Identify individuals who align with the organization’s
objectives.
• Ensure that recruitment planning lays a strong foundation for
success.
Steps in the Recruitment
Process
1. Recruitment Planning:
Establish clear goals and identify workforce needs.
3. Screening and Evaluation:
Assess candidates to ensure alignment with strategic goals.
2. Candidate Attraction:
Target individuals with the right KSAOs. 4. Selection and Onboarding:
Finalize the process by integrating the right candidates
into the organization.
Recruitment Strategy and
Process
Source: Judge (2023), Staffing
Organizations. McGraw Hill 10th
edition
Open versus Targeted
Recruitment
Identifying Potential Applicants Stratification:
Key Challenge: Determining where to look for Sort applicants into categories (strata) to
potential candidates. find the best fit.
Eligible Labour Force includes: Recruitment Strategies
• Employed Open Recruitment: Casting a wide net for
• Unemployed applicants.
• Discouraged workers
• New entrants Tailored Recruitment: Targeting specific,
• Former workers re-entering the market qualified candidates.
Open Recruitment
Open Recruitment Strategy
• Definition: Casting a wide net to attract a broad pool of applicants. Minimal filtering of
applicants based on KSAOs (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Other characteristics).
• Approach:
Passive: Anyone can apply, regardless of qualifications.
Inclusive: Considers all applicants for open positions.
Benefit: Reaches a large and diverse group of potential candidates.
Challenge: Requires more effort to screen and evaluate candidates due to lack of
initial filtering.
Open Recruitment
Drawbacks
Benefits
High Screening Costs: Processing large
volumes of applications is costly and
Perceived Fairness: Equal
time-intensive.
opportunity for all applicants.
Overwhelming Volume: Web-based
Diverse Applicant Pool: Ensures a
recruitment often results in too many
wide variety of candidates.
applications to review efficiently.
Scalable: Ideal when hiring large
Shift in Strategies: Many organisations
numbers of employees.
move away from open recruitment due
to inefficiencies.
Targeted Recruitment
• Definition: Focuses on specific segments of the labour market where suitable
candidates are most likely to be found. Identifies traits relevant to person/job or
person/organization fit.
• Advantages: Creates tailored messages that strongly resonate with the target
audience. Avoids generic messaging that lacks strong appeal.
• Purpose: Attract candidates with specific, desirable traits or qualifications.
Enhances recruitment efficiency by narrowing the applicant pool.
Targeted Recruitment
The following is a list of some of the prospective groups that could be targeted
for recruitment:
• Key KSAOs holders- with specific skills and knowledge
• Diverse job seekers-underrepresented groups
• Passive job seekers- already employed
• Employment-discouraged – long term unemployed
• Reluctant applicants – conflict with the organizations
Choosing between Open or
Targeted Recruitment
Source: Judge (2023), Staffing Organizations. McGraw Hill 10th edition
Applicant Reaction
Job and Organization Characteristics
Marketing Perspective >> Job & Organization = Products being offered to potential
applicants.
Job Level Attractors Organization Level Attractors
• Compensation Opportunities: Competitive salary and • Prestige: Strong reputation and fair treatment of staff.
benefits.
• Career Growth: Development and advancement • Social Atmosphere: Welcoming culture and employee focus.
chances.
• Engaging Roles: Interesting tasks, duties, and • Values: Competitive or aspirational culture, sustainability
responsibilities. initiatives.
Recruiters must showcase why candidates should join
despite varying job qualities.
Reactions to Recruiters
Role of a Skilled Recruiter - Key Essential Skills for Recruiters - Deep knowledge of:
Responsibilities: Job roles and nature., Recruitment objectives, policies, and
Present job and organization truthfully, procedures and Legal aspects of recruitment.
comprehensively, and engagingly. Training in:
Identifying ideal candidates.
Balance competence with a friendly
Understanding candidate expectations.
demeanour during interactions.
Collaboration: Work closely with HR to align recruitment strategies.
Be enthusiastic, empathetic, and helpful
to create a welcoming environment. Impact: Recruiters influence candidates’ attitudes and behaviors
Clearly inform candidates about job during the process. Long-term influence depends on whether the
recruiter is also the supervisor.
responsibilities and requirements.
Reactions to the Recruitment
Process
Improving the Recruitment Process - Key Insights:
Fairness Matters: Candidates respond positively when the recruitment process
appears fair and transparent.
Organizations must Selection Criteria: Relevant job-related criteria should guide the evaluation of
ensure an efficient applicants.
and timely Candidate Preferences: Opportunity to showcase their capabilities during the
recruitment process process.
to attract and retain Timely responses to their applications and queries.
top talent. Impact of Delays: Perceived delays negatively affect candidates’ impressions.
Highly qualified candidates may accept other offers during prolonged waiting
periods.
Follow-Up Speed: Prompt and consistent communication significantly impacts
an organization’s reputation.
Applicant
Sourcing
Applicant sourcing succeeds recruitment planning.
The various
sources of
recruiting
Individual recruitment sources
• Applicant initiated
• Employment websites
• Social Recruitment sources
• Employee referrals
• Social media
• Professional associations and meetings
The various
sources of
recruiting
Organizational recruitment sources
• Colleges and placement offices
• Staffing agencies
• Executive search firms
• Social service agencies
• Job fairs
• Co-op internships
Conclusion
“Once a candidate has been identified and
attracted, the organisation must strategically
prepare them for the selection process. This
involves clearly communicating the next steps,
expectations, and requirements. Neglecting this
critical transition may result in the loss of
qualified candidates who perceive delays as a
lack of interest or question their suitability for
the role.”
