Recruitment and selection of employees: The need for recruitment

The idea

Recruitment is the process of finding and attracting suitable people to fill job vacancies. A business needs to recruit when it expands, when staff leave through resignation or retirement, when someone is promoted or internally transferred, or when new skills are required. It also recruits to cover maternity or paternity leave, long-term sickness and seasonal demand. Without recruitment, vacancies remain unfilled, so output may fall, customer service may suffer and existing staff may face heavier workloads. The need may be met internally, by promoting or transferring existing employees, or externally, by advertising to new applicants.

For example: A growing café may recruit a second barista when queues lengthen and existing staff cannot cope.

What earns the marks

• Defines recruitment as the process of finding and attracting suitable people to fill job vacancies.
• Identifies reasons for recruitment, including business expansion, staff leaving through resignation or retirement, promotion or internal transfer, and the need for new skills.
• Explains that recruitment is needed to cover maternity or paternity leave, long-term sickness and seasonal demand.
• Explains the consequences of not recruiting, such as unfilled vacancies, lower output, poorer customer service and increased workload for existing staff.
• Distinguishes internal recruitment, such as promotion or transfer, from external recruitment, such as advertising to new applicants.
• Applies the need for recruitment to a business example, showing why a specific vacancy arises.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Confusing recruitment with selection.

  Put it right: Recruitment attracts applicants; selection chooses the best candidate from those applicants.

• Assuming recruitment is only needed when a business grows.

  Put it right: Recruitment is also needed to replace leavers, cover leave or sickness, and obtain new skills.

• Ignoring the costs and risks of not recruiting.

  Put it right: Explain that unfilled vacancies can reduce output, harm customer service and increase pressure on existing staff.

Exam tips

• Link each reason for recruitment to a specific business situation, such as expansion, resignation or seasonal demand.
• Use the terms internal recruitment and external recruitment correctly, and state one reason a business might choose each.
• Explain the consequence of a vacancy remaining unfilled, rather than only naming the reason for the vacancy.