Recruiting is the process of finding, attracting and hiring employees. In other words, it includes everything from identifying the company’s personnel needs to closing them. Depending on the size of the company, recruitment is entrusted to a number of employees. Large organizations may have entire teams of recruiters, while smaller organizations may have only one or two recruitment specialists.

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Recruiting needs change as the labor market evolves. And in recent years it has undergone many transformations. If earlier there were problems with finding a job, now it is more difficult to find a qualified specialist. This is primarily due to rapid changes in the world of business and technology. All these transformations dictate new conditions for employees, requiring special skills and knowledge from them. And in order to find knowledgeable and experienced specialists for this or that position, many companies are forced to turn to recruiting services. Many of us are familiar with this word, but not everyone knows its meaning. So what is recruiting, how does it help companies, and who does it?

A little about recruiting

Recruiting, in its simplest sense, involves the process of finding, attracting, selecting and hiring candidates for the company, as well as their subsequent adaptation. In general nowadays, recruiting is not limited to these tasks and actually covers a wider range of activities. In addition, specialists are required to understand the staffing needs of the organization, the complex skills required for different positions, as well as a general idea of ​​the work process and atmosphere within the company.

In general, each company has its own employee selection system and it depends on several factors:

• the volume of the enterprise;

• areas of activity;

• pace of development;

• types of employment;

• availability of vacancies and requirements for them;

• salaries and additional “buns” in the form of benefits;

• working conditions (in the office, remote or hybrid).

Basic concepts of recruiting

Recruiting, hiring and sourcing are the basis of employee selection. Recruiting should be understood as the entire process of hiring. That is, starting with the placement of the first advertisement, ending with the adaptation of new employees.

As for the hiring process, it is the method used by companies to determine the final candidates for a particular job. Sourcing or search, based on the name, is the process of actively searching for and identifying candidates in whom the company is interested. This stage is the first during recruitment.

A properly organized recruitment process will allow not only to attract new employees, but also to involve them in the work process, inspire and even provide a pleasant adaptation experience. But it is worth understanding that recruiting is not about numbers. After all, what is important is not how many new employees the recruiter will attract, but their quality and diversity. Vacancies must be closed so that the company’s management has no doubts about new employees.

Based on this, candidate selection is not just about finding candidates with the necessary qualifications. This is a more complex process that requires resources to be dedicated from the start of the company to finding interested employees. Therefore, it is important to create such a selection system that will allow to achieve this to the maximum extent possible. And consultations with experts will help in this, regardless of the industry in which the business is involved.

Types of recruiting

Recruiting depends on the availability of personnel, their qualities offered on the labor market, and based on these factors, it can be divided into the following types:

Management Selection. It is used to find mid-level candidates or to find managers.

Linear. This approach is used in the mass recruitment of personnel and is most often used for recruiting a specialist from a third-party company.

Executive search. This method is used when searching for candidates for a managerial position.

The main goals and tasks of recruiting

Now that it is more or less clear what recruiting is, it remains to figure out what tasks it can solve. Specialists who have been working in this field for more than one year can perform a whole range of tasks, namely:

• to ensure the reliability of the selection of the necessary personnel capable of fully satisfying the employer’s requests;

• organize staff leasing when a certain specialist is temporarily unable to perform his duties;

• conduct as a search, but also train own personnel;

• promote the brand in the personnel market

The main goal for a recruiter is to fully satisfy the customer’s requests, to form his staff of truly competent specialists. In this case, personnel are engaged under clearly defined conditions, taking into account many parameters. As a rule, mandatory parameters are the level of education, the real picture on the labor market, the type of activity, etc.

In order to achieve the set goal and attract specialists who will cover the needs of the company, various approaches are used, including:

Social and psychological tests. Such tests help to determine how suitable the candidate is for the company. As a rule, candidates pass personal questionnaires and intellectual tests.

Business cases. In this case, the recruiter offers the candidates to assess a certain situation and offer the best option for solving it. In this, you can assess the behavior of the future employee.

Chronological interview. This approach is used in order for the future employee to talk about his professional growth in chronological order. He has to describe significant situations of manifestation of his abilities.

Interview in game form. This approach allows you to determine how skilled the candidate is at solving certain tasks. In addition, such interviews create a relaxed atmosphere.

Attracting valuable personnel from other companies. In fact, this method of attracting new employees is used very often.

Selection of candidates among people who have completed specialized courses or among university graduates. This is a great way to “hijack” a good specialist without experience.

Search for future employees in closed and open sources. Quite often, recruiters use communities or social networks to find people for certain vacancies. A clear example is Linkedin.

The main stages of recruiting

The recruiter’s work is based on interrelated processes and is aimed at closing a vacancy in the company with a worthy candidate. But it can take more than one day and even more than one week. Sometimes the search for a good candidate, that is, one who would fully satisfy the company’s requirements, can take several months. First of all, this is due to the fact that such work is built in stages and weeks can last between each stage. Let’s consider what the work of a recruiter consists of.

1. Understand exactly who the company is looking for. This is the initial stage in which recruiters, aka hiring managers, must compile a list of company or individual department requirements before posting a vacancy.

2. Write a job description. Once the requirements are clear, you can start writing a good job description. It is worth considering this stage as part of an effective recruitment strategy.

3. Create a personnel plan.

4. Start search. For this, it is advisable to use any tools that can help save time during selection. You can use such parsers that will read information about candidates from resumes and search sites and transfer it to the company’s database. The use of social networks is also welcome.

5. Selection of candidates.

6. Make a schedule and conduct an interview.

7. Submit a job offer.

Used tools and methods

Companies have to use different approaches to find and attract new employees. It is quite common to use what they think is a rather unique recruitment system, but many processes used in business fall under 10 main categories, namely:

1. Direct advertising of the company. This means posting vacancies on job search sites or social networks.

2. Internal database. Checking the company’s internal database allows you to find candidates that match current requests.

3. Referral program This approach is a combination of external and internal recruiting and consists in inviting candidates who are acquaintances of employees. This is especially useful for positions based on diversity.

4. Re-hiring. Hiring former employees can be successful because you know exactly what the candidate’s capabilities and needs are.

5. Promotion and development. One of the best ways to develop successful employees and leaders in a team is to give them the opportunity to develop within the company.

6. Labor exchanges. This is a good option if companies are limited in choice or budget.

7. Recruiting agencies. If the vacancy needs to be filled urgently (as far as possible), companies use the services of an agency to find qualified candidates in the industry.

8. Search in professional communities.

9. Internship and training. This is especially true if the company needs an entry-level employee who can be trained in everything necessary. A person who has completed a comfortable internship in the company can also become a part of it.

10. Recruiting events. This includes anything from job fairs to professional conferences.

The importance of IT recruiting for business success

Recently, recruiting services are in unprecedented demand, because the right selection of a candidate helps to increase labor productivity, increase profits and reduce costs for a vacant position. So, for example, if you hire an incompetent specialist, you will have to spend time and money on his training and professional development. In turn, with the help of recruiting, you can find an already experienced employee without spending on his training.

In addition, with an illiterate selection of an employee, companies often face staff turnover and work slowdowns. Therefore, turning to recruitment agencies helps to avoid such problems and to focus on the activities of your company.

Practical tips for effective recruiting

Companies that want to improve the process of hiring employees prefer to work with recruiters. After all, no one better than a recruiter will be able to study the requirements for a vacancy, find a suitable candidate, conduct an interview with him and prepare a cover letter. The company sets the recruiter the task of closing a vacancy and receives a candidate who meets all expectations. At the same time, recruiters spend a lot of resources on this, because they understand that a resume does not give a complete picture, so a new approach to finding employees is needed. For this you need:

• Familiarize yourself with the duties of an employee and create a portrait of the ideal applicant.

• Spend time searching for a person for a specific position, rather than a “universal soldier.”

• Recruit candidates with relevant experience and the necessary qualities for a specific vacancy.

• Conduct an analysis of job requirements and create a portrait of the ideal candidate.

• Focus not only on experience and skills, but also on the individual preferences and characteristics of each candidate.

As you can see, recruiting is not just “Come. Saw. Took it.” Before taking this or that candidate for a certain position, you will have to go through a whole series of obstacles.