In this article, we will explore some of the most innovative and disruptive external recruitment techniques that are revolutionizing the job market and talent search. These techniques leverage technology, artificial intelligence (AI), big data, social media, digital marketing, employer branding, gamification, and inbound recruiting. Their goal is to optimize the recruitment and selection process, reduce costs and time, improve the candidate experience, increase the quality and quantity of suitable candidates, and differentiate from the competition.
What is External Recruitment?
External recruitment is the process through which organizations seek the ideal candidate from outside their own environment. Unlike internal recruitment, which focuses on promoting current employees, external recruitment allows companies to stand out and attract fresh and diverse talent.
This type of recruitment involves an active search in the job market to find qualified professionals who meet the requirements of the vacant position. Human resources (HR) professionals play a crucial role at this stage, using various strategies to search for potential candidates and evaluate their suitability for the position.
External hiring can be particularly beneficial when seeking to fill a vacancy with specific skills or experience not available internally. By expanding the search beyond the organization’s boundaries, companies increase their chances of finding the perfect candidate who can drive business growth and success.
You may be interested in: Top 5 digital HR strategies to boost your hiring in 2024.
External Recruitment Techniques: Definitions
External recruitment techniques refer to the different hiring sources that allow recruiters to find the right candidate. Some of these techniques include posting job offers on specialized websites, recruitment events, job offers on job boards, social media, candidate databases, and referral programs.
Each technique has its advantages and disadvantages, but all aim to expand the possibilities of finding the ideal candidate. The most effective recruitment sources can vary depending on the industry and the type of position being sought. Therefore, recruiters should use a combination of techniques to maximize their chances of finding the best possible candidate. In summary, external recruitment techniques enable companies to expand their reach in the search for talent and find the right candidate to fill a vacancy.
Main External Recruitment Techniques
Among the main external recruitment techniques are the following:
- Career Page: The company’s website where available job offers are published and applications are collected. This technique is widely used due to its ease, speed, and low cost.
- Job Boards: Online platforms that connect companies with job seekers. Companies can post their job offers on these boards and access a large database of resumes.
- Candidate Databases: Databases containing the resumes of people who have participated in previous selection processes or who have sent spontaneous applications.
- Employment Agencies: Intermediaries that search for, select, and hire suitable candidates for companies. These agencies can be public or private, general or specialized, temporary or permanent.
- Job Fairs: Mass events that bring together multiple companies and candidates in one place. Companies can present their offers, projects, and organizational culture, as well as interview candidates on-site.
- Social Media: Social networks allow job offers to be disseminated, show the day-to-day life of the company, generate engagement with candidates, and create an online community.
- Video Job Posts: Short videos that showcase the characteristics of the job, functions, requirements, and benefits offered by the company. Their goal is to capture candidates' attention, convey a dynamic and modern image of the company, and differentiate from the competition.
Advantages of External Recruitment Techniques
The advantages of external recruitment techniques include:
- Centralizing and optimizing processes.
- Attracting more specific profiles.
- Higher performance and speed.
- Promoting company culture.
- Sharing job offers.
- Evaluating video resumes and candidate presentations.
- Improving internal processes.
In summary, external recruitment techniques offer advantages such as process optimization, attraction of more specific profiles, thorough evaluation of resumes and candidate presentations, and improvement of internal processes. They also allow companies to showcase their culture and attract candidates who align with the organization’s values and needs.
Disadvantages of External Recruitment Techniques
The disadvantages include:
- Additional Costs: Using external recruitment techniques like hiring specialized agencies incurs additional costs that can affect the company’s budget.
- Lack of Internal Knowledge: External agencies may struggle to fully understand the company’s culture and values, leading to the selection of candidates who do not fit well in the work environment.
- Less Control Over the Process: Externalizing part of the selection process can result in losing some degree of control, leading to uncertainty and difficulties in evaluating candidates.
- Dependency on Third Parties: Relying on external agencies means depending on their ability to find and present the most suitable candidates, which can cause issues if the agency does not meet expectations.
- Limited Knowledge of the Internal Market: External agencies may have limited knowledge of the internal market and the company’s specific needs, resulting in less suitable candidate selections.
- Less Commitment to the Company: Candidates selected through external techniques may have lower commitment and loyalty to the company since their initial relationship is not directly with the organization.
- Longer Adaptation Time: Externally selected candidates may require more time to adapt to the company’s processes and culture, causing delays in their integration.
Disruptive Techniques in External Recruitment
The external recruitment process involves searching and selecting candidates outside the organization to fill a vacancy. This process can be costly, slow, and inefficient if not using the right techniques. Therefore, more companies are turning to disruptive techniques that leverage the use of data technology, artificial intelligence, employer branding, gamification, inbound recruiting, and video resumes. Here is a brief overview of each:
Use of Data Technology
The use of data technology allows the collection and analysis of relevant information about candidates, such as their skills, experience, and online behavior, to make more informed decisions in the selection process.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence can automate repetitive recruitment tasks, such as resume screening and interview scheduling, speeding up the process and allowing recruiters to focus on more strategic tasks.
Employer Branding
Employer branding involves building and promoting a positive and attractive image as an employer. This can include creating relevant and authentic content to showcase the company’s values and culture to attract top candidates.
Gamification
Gamification applies game elements and mechanics to the recruitment process to make it more interactive, engaging, and fun. It can include activities like virtual tests and challenges to assess specific skills.
Inbound Recruiting
Inbound recruiting attracts candidates to the company by creating relevant and useful content that addresses their needs and interests. This is achieved through strategic use of digital marketing and social media.
Video Resumes
A video resume is an innovative way for candidates to present their experience and skills through a short video. This allows recruiters to get a more complete and personal first impression of the candidate before the interview.
These disruptive techniques in the external recruitment process offer a competitive advantage to companies that implement them, enabling them to find the best candidates for their vacancies quickly, efficiently, and innovatively.
Video Job Portal: Low-Cost Recruitment
While there are many options available today to facilitate the hiring process, not all offer a balance between speed, resource savings, optimization, better decision-making, and evaluation of soft skills in candidates. Video job boards provide this balance by focusing on better-informed decision-making, hiring speed, and budget optimization.
Employing companies often invest money and significant efforts in reading hundreds of resumes to select a person without certainty of their suitability or adaptability to the company culture.
Cazvid Prioritizes Video for More Suitable Candidates
Cazvid is a free application designed exclusively for job search and hiring, with job ads and resumes in video format. It does not eliminate the traditional resume but allows a combination of techniques that help companies make better decisions.
As a recruitment strategy, Cazvid presents itself as a disruptive solution that will undoubtedly change the game in the job market and within companies searching for new employees. Here are its main advantages as a low-budget recruitment system:
- Provides a large, daily updated database of potential candidates.
- Candidates can spontaneously apply for new job positions for free.
- Video resumes allow employers to see if candidates fit the types of profiles they seek.
- With a video resume, companies can assess skills and experiences that are not possible with a traditional resume.
- Being free, it saves costs related to hiring.
- Although not recruitment software, it offers useful filtering and contact mechanisms for users.
Conclusion
External recruitment techniques are key to the success of any organization as they involve incorporating new talents that bring value and competitiveness. However, this process also presents several challenges and difficulties that can be overcome by balancing disruptive techniques that leverage the advantages of technology, innovation, and marketing. These techniques improve the effectiveness, speed, and quality of the external recruitment process while offering a better experience and satisfaction to the candidates.
