A2 The Recruitment Process
Job advertisements are announcements of a job opportunity placed in various media to inform potential candidates of a job vacancy. Job adverts usually contain small amounts of text including the job title, location, key roles and responsibilities and how to apply. Some employers include the salary and benefits in the advert too. However, some employers prefer to wait until they offer the job before revealing the salary. The advert can be placed internally which means only existing employees can see it and apply for it. Examples of how a firm may place an internal advert are on a notice board or via staff emails. External adverts mean that people outside of the organisation can also apply for job vacancies. Examples of how a firm may advertise externally include the company website, newspapers, industry periodicals and recruitment agencies.
A job analysis is the process of identifying the tasks that are needed to complete the operations of a business and the skills and experience needed from staff to complete those tasks to a high standard. Through this process, a business may find areas where staff are unavailable or unqualified to complete certain tasks the HR department can make a judgement on whether recruitment is needed.
A job description is a document that outlines the main roles and responsibilities of a job role. It may include the job title, the location, who the employee will report to, who will report to them and a summary of duties. A job description is often available alongside a job advert. If a job advert is posted online, a recruiter may post a link to the job description for people who are interested in further detail. This is useful to an applicant as they can make a more informed decision on whether it is a job that they would be interested in.
A person specification is a document that outlines the skills, knowledge, experience and attributes of an ideal candidate for an advertised job role. They are often categorised into essential and desirable. When shortlisting applications for a role, the HR team will look to reject applications from candidates without the essential skills, knowledge, experience and attributes. Depending on how strong the field of applicants is will effect whether they reject people who do not have the desirables. A person specification is often available alongside a job advert with the job description. It is useful for candidates as they can self-assess whether they are appropriate for the role and can support HR staff in the shortlisting and selection decisions.
A CV (curriculum vitae) is a document produced by an individual to outline their education, qualifications, past work experience, interests and referees. This is a short document, usually one or two pages, that can be sent to prospective employers. Individuals usually add to their CVs over their lifetime as they gain more qualifications and experience. Employers can very quickly get an overview of an individual’s strengths and suitability for their organisation.
An application form is a document that is completed by a person applying for a job. The form includes fields decided by the organisation as important information to know about candidates. This may include past work experience, qualifications and referees. Although an application form may request similar information that is included in a CV, an employer can design an application form to request more detailed information in specific areas. For example, it may be important to understand an applicant’s teamworking ability which is something they may not go into detail with on their CV.
A letter of application or a cover letter is a document sent to accompany an application form or CV to introduce the application and enhance with further information. The letter should explain the applicant’s interest in the position and company as well as the reasons why they are an appropriate candidate for the role. The letter of application is an opportunity for an applicant to gain further interest from the potential employer by expanding on any of their experience that was not asked for in the application form or would have cluttered the CV.
Online recruitment refers to any recruitment activities that use the internet. Businesses have a range of options to advertise positions online including their own website, online recruitment agencies and social media sites such as LinkedIn. By advertising job positions online, organisations can attract a wide range of candidates from around the world. Job applications can be submitted online through online forms or by email. This can speed up the application process compared to physical mail and make it easier for multiple people to view the same job applications as part of the shortlisting process. Online interviews are becoming more popular using programmes such as Skype and Zoom. This reduces the time needed for candidates to travel to interview and allows staff from different offices to take part on interview panels.