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Home » HR Processes » Recruitment and Selection » External Recruitment » External Recruitment Channels

External Recruitment Channels

The External Recruitment Channels are the channels used to communicate job vacancies to the public audience and the correct usage of the external recruitment channels brings the right candidates for the positions.

Generally, the HRM Function is responsible for monitoring the job market and react appropriately to the changes on the job market with the right mix of the channels used to bring the expected level and number of candidates at the affordable costs. The external recruitment is a very costly HR Process and it is under the pressure for the cost savings all the time.

The HR Recruiter has always to make a complex decision based on the following criteria:

• Speed
• Cost
• Quality
• Confidentiality
• Job Position Requirements
• Job Openings Plan and Forecast
• Available external recruitment budget

At first, the external recruitment channels are restricted by the available funds in the allocated budget and the overall job openings plan and forecast. The HRM Function has to prepare the recruitment plan in the beginning of the year as it can allocate funds per channel. Some channels are paid on case-by-case basis, but other channels (mainly the Internet ones) can run on the flat fee basis. The HRM Function has to make the analysis of the cost per hire and to take the right decisions on the level of the whole organization.

The individual channels used by the HR Recruiter depend on the needs by the position and the requirements of the hiring manager. The HR Recruiter follows the criteria, which can disqualify the least expensive external recruitment channels in favor of more expensive ones.

The table limiting the channels follows:

Channel	Cost	Speed	Quality	Number of Candidates	Confidentiality	Requirements
Corporate Web	Low	Mid	Mid	Low	Low	Mid
Job Web Site	Low	High	Low	High	Low	Low
Recommendation	Low	Mid	Mid	Low	Low	Mid
Recruitment Agency	Mid	High	Mid	Mid	Mid	Mid
Newspapers	High	Mid	Mid	Mid	Low	Mid
Headhunting	High	Low	High	Low	High	High

The HR Recruiter has to be able to make a decision on the concrete job vacancy based on the information delivered by the hiring manager and the HR Front Office. The HR Recruiter has to be the decision maker as he or she is usually responsible for the cost and quality of the delivered candidates.