5 key elements involved in the process of recruitment

Recruitment is the search for potential candidates to meet the organization’s goals and objectives. There are five key elements involved in the process of recruitment.

1. Plan Development

In order to find the appropriate candidate, it is important to identify the vacant position first. In the first phase, the description of the position to be filled is given, along with the job specification, as well.

This usually involves:
• Analyzing the vacancies in terms of the number of positions and posts to be filled
• Job Description and its nature is a most important document and is descriptive in nature. It defines the job roles and the responsibilities associated with the job.
• Qualification and skills needed to apply for the position

2. Establishing a Strategy

A strategy is devised for recruiting the candidates. Various factors are considered, like whether or not to prepare the candidates themselves or hire from outside or to check the recruitment sources that are available and find the most appropriate among them.
It looks for a suitable geographical area for the hiring process along with the method of recruitment for the potential candidates.

3. Searching Process

Searching involves attracting the candidates who are seeking jobs. There are broadly two categories under the searching process.
i. Internal Sources:
This involves hiring the employees within the organization through promotions, transfers and employee referrals.
ii. External Sources:
It is the direct form of recruitment which involves hiring people who do not belong to the organization. It is done through many ways, for example, campus recruitment, employment agencies or through advertisements about the job opening.

4. Screening and Shortlisting

This is a reviewing process. Once the applications come in, the recruiter along with his/her team analyzes the resumes and reviews the applications. A second round could be conducted if the organization wishes, to shortlist the candidates. This does not necessarily have to be a formal interview. It can be carried out through a telephonic call or a video interview.

5. Evaluation

It’s essential to list down where the costs were incurred throughout the recruitment process and to take measures to try and control them. These generally include:
 Salaries to the recruiters
 Costs incurred in advertisements and other recruitment methods
 Overtime and outstanding costs while the positions were vacant
 Cost of the time spent for developing a plan and strategies of recruitment.

Finally, it is important to know how effective the recruitment process was. Statistical data and different metrics can be used to check how effective the process has been.