Overview of Recruitment Methods and Selection Criteria

Covering Assessment Criterion 1.3 from Unit 3CO04, this video addresses the range of recruitment methods available to organisations and the factors that determine when each is appropriate. The content spans both attraction methods — internal advertisements, external adverts, job boards, agencies, headhunters and job fairs — and the tools used to collect and process applications, including application forms, electronic recruitment and Applicant Tracking Systems. Cost, speed, compliance, candidate experience and role requirements all feature as decision-making variables throughout.

The video gives particular attention to how different methods suit different hiring contexts. Internal routes using intranets, staff briefings and talent platforms are examined alongside their implications for succession and the gaps they can create. External methods, from local press and community channels to trade publications and social media, are considered in terms of how targeting affects the talent pool reached. The video also covers recruitment agencies and executive search consultants as distinct options for volume or scarce-specialist hiring, and job fairs as a channel suited to high-volume and early-careers recruitment where employer branding and face-to-face interaction carry weight.

Application and processing methods form the final strand of the video's content. Structured application forms, their role in reducing bias and enabling fair comparison, and the risks of poorly designed or overlong forms are all addressed. Electronic recruitment — including careers sites, online adverts, video screening and accessibility considerations — is examined as part of the broader question of how attraction and processing link together. The video also covers managing applications in terms of screening criteria, communication, volume control and record-keeping, framing these operational steps as directly connected to both candidate experience and legal compliance.