This article is part of the Recruitment Methods Guide. Read our related articles on out-of-the-box recruitment methods, and outsourced recruitment.
Internal Recruitment Sources
What is it?
Internal recruitment is the process through which you promote your employees to new roles.
Advantages
You might wonder why you should do it. The main advantage that internal recruitment sources bring is that it is a faster process. Your employees already know you and your culture. They only need the onboarding on the new project without all the hustle of adapting to the company and understanding the process. Moreover, this also increases the team’s engagement since they see that they are appreciated for the value that they bring to the team.
Disadvantages
Internal recruitment also has some disadvantages you should consider before deciding to use it as a recruitment source. The main disadvantage is that the current employees might not bring a fresh perspective on the project they are working on since they are already used to the company. Furthermore, some biases might appear when deciding to promote someone based on past relationships.
Examples of Internal Recruitment:
- Promotions
- Retirements
- Internal Advertising
- Department transfers
External Sources of Recruitment
What is it?
External sources of recruitment are the channels you use to onboard new talent, outside your organization.
Advantages
The advantage of the external sources of recruitment is the opposite of the internal ones. By onboarding people outside the organization, you increase the changes to bring a fresh wave of innovative ideas. Moreover, you will enhance the skills map of your company.
Disadvantages
In terms of disadvantages, using external sources of recruitment usually takes longer and you are always at risk of hiring the wrong people for your needs.
Examples of Internal Recruitment
- Social Media
- Events
- Hiring agencies
- Employment exchange
Alternative Sources of Recruitment
What is it?
Alternative recruitment sources challenge you to think outside the box and find innovative ways to attract the talent you are searching for.
Benefits
The main benefits of this type of recruitment are related to the team’s morale. You challenge yourself or your team to come up with new ideas, ultimately increasing your team’s morale and adding value to the team: fun. Plus, it is perfect for self-development since it pulls you out of the mundane and stretches your comfort zone’s boundaries.
Examples of Innovative Recruitment Sources
- Using Instagram hashtags
- Boolean searches
- Attending non-career fairs
- Gamifying the application process
- Slack or Discord groups
- Forums
We hope this article helped your recruitment efforts. Please share with us what other sources you use when looking to hire new people.
Sources of Recruitment FAQ
What is the most common source of recruitment?
The most common source of recruitment is hiring your own employees, followed by LinkedIn.
What is internal recruitment?
Internal recruitment is the process through which you are promoting your employees to new roles.
What are alternative sources of recruitment?
Some alternative sources of recruitment are Instagram #s, networking events, Slack groups, etc.