Recruitment and selection: internal and external recruitment, the recruitment process and documents, methods of selection, and the costs and benefits of different approaches to hiring.

What this topic is asking

OCR J204 topic 3.4 wants you to know the difference between internal and external recruitment, the recruitment process and its documents (job analysis, job description, person specification), the main methods of selection (application forms, CVs, interviews, tests), and the costs and benefits of each approach. The exam often gives a business filling a vacancy and asks you to recommend or weigh an approach.

Internal and external recruitment

A business often advertises internally and externally at once, then chooses the strongest candidate overall.

The recruitment process and documents

Methods of selection

More thorough selection (tests plus interviews plus references) is more likely to find the right person but takes more time and money. A small, low-risk role might need only an application and a short interview; a senior role justifies a fuller process.

Costs and benefits of hiring approaches

Recruitment costs money (advertising, management time, agency fees) and a bad hire is expensive, because the business must manage them out and recruit again. So spending more on a careful process can save money overall. OCR rewards weighing the cost of recruiting against the risk and cost of choosing the wrong person.

Try this

Q1. State two documents used in the recruitment process. [2 marks]

• Cue. Any two of job description, person specification, application form, CV.

Q2. Internal recruitment costs $400$; external costs $1{,}500$ in advertising plus a $1{,}800$ agency fee. Calculate how much cheaper internal recruitment is. [2 marks]

• Cue. External $= 1{,}500 + 1{,}800 = 3{,}300$; internal is $3{,}300 - 400 = 2{,}900$ cheaper.