Types of recruitment

Recruitment is the process of finding and selecting the right candidates to fill job vacancies. Effective recruitment helps the business maintain a skilled, motivated workforce and achieve long-term success. Recruitment can either be internal or external.

Internal: promoting or transferring existing staff.
External: recruiting new staff from outside the business.

Type of recruitment	Advantages	Disadvantages
Internal	Saves time and money Staff are already familiar with company culture Motivates employees through career progression	Limits the pool of applicants May create jealousy or internal conflict
External	Access to fresh ideas and new skills Helps fill skill gaps Brings in external experience	More expensive (advertising, agency fees) Longer process Training may be required

Effective businesses will typically use a combination of these two types of recruitment. For example, Tesco may use internal recruitment to promote a team leader to assistant manager since the desired skills likely already exist within their current pool of staff, whereas they would use external recruitment for a specialist IT role that is unlikely to be within the purview of their existing staff.

A good recruitment process ensures compliance with employment law, prevents discrimination, and promotes diversity.

Unlock Types of recruitment

Sign up to unlock the rest of this topic — plus every other topic, video, flashcard set and eBook guide in your SnapRevise+ subscription.

Choose your plan

Cancel anytime — instant access the moment you sign up.

Unlock Types of recruitment

Report an Issue