Using this information and from your archive, coherently and concisely describe the internal recruitment methods, give the advantages and disadvantages of the methods.

Once the target applicant pool has been identified and located and the advertisement crafted, the HR team must choose the most appropriate recruitment methods or sources for reaching all potential job applicants, including members of protected groups. The following sections describe some of the more popular recruiting methods that have been used to contact members of different applicant pools. We review first more traditional recruiting sources followed by Internet and social networking recruiting.

TRADITIONAL RECRUITMENT SOURCES

Internal Candidates

Internal candidates provide the organization with a known source of labour. Many of the activities carried out as part of HR planning provide the organization with information about the best-qualified internal applicants. Internal applicants are likely to have more realistic expectations about the job or the organization and to have more job satisfaction and organizational commitment, but there is a risk that recruiting through internal sources may lead to a work force that is less diversified with respect to minority applicants. We briefly review some common sources used to attract internal applicants.

Succession Plans/Replacement Charts

Organizations expect that vacancies will occur through death, illness, retirement, resignation, or termination and, as part of the HR planning function, develop a succession plan for filling vacancies with existing employees. Organizations have a good idea of the talent in other positions that can step in to fill a vacancy, either on a short- or long-term basis. Succession/replacement charts, like organizational charts, list each job with respect to its position in the organizational structure, particularly its relationship to positions above and below it. The replacement chart lists the incumbent for the position and the likely internal replacements for the incumbent. The chart includes information on the present job performance of each potential successor (e.g., "excellent performer"), an assessment of the successor's potential and readiness to step into the position (e.g., "needs more experience in present position"), and a rank-ordering of each as the incumbent's replacement. Sometimes a chart will also include a photo of the individual holding the position. We caution against this as the use of a photo may lead to a discrimination charge by an employee who is lower ranked on the chart. Replacement charts provide a quick, visual presentation of an organization's human resources, but they give little information beyond that of a candidate's performance and promotability. These charts are limited by the constraints imposed by the organizational chart. Employees are evaluated for positions one level above theirs in the chain of command. They are not evaluated for positions that are horizontal or lateral to theirs, although in contemporary organizations, employees are expected to have skills and competencies that are transferable to jobs that are related to their position.

Internal Job Postings

Internal job postings include notices posted to company websites, e-mails to lists of employees, announcements made at staff meetings, or notices circulated through departments. The intent of the posting is to make internal employees aware of the vacancy and to allow them an opportunity to apply for the position. As a matter of policy, some organizations seek to fill positions through internal sources before going to the external market. Other organizations may have agreed, through a collective agreement with employees, to give first consideration to internal candidates for any vacant position that falls under the collective agreement. Internal job postings make the vacancy known to all employees, which is an important consideration when implementing employment equity programs throughout different levels of the organization.

There are, however, disadvantages to internal job postings. Internal postings lengthen the time needed to fill the position, as external searches generally do not begin until after all internal candidates are evaluated. Internal candidates who are unsuccessful may become less motivated or may initiate a job search outside the organization. Placing an internal candidate in a vacant position sets off a sequence of events that brings with it a degree of instability and change. The position the employee leaves must itself be posted and filled. The effects of filling the first position with an internal candidate reverberate through several layers of the organization before the process comes to an end. In addition, limiting your search to internal applicants only may make it difficult to find the best employee possible for your position.

Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS)

As we discussed previously, human resources planning often involves the creation of a comprehensive computerized database that contains the job analysis information on each position, including information on the required KSAOs. This computerized inventory also contains information on employee competencies and KSAOs, along with employee work histories, experiences, and results of performance evaluations. Internal candidates for a vacant position may be found through an HRIS match of the person's characteristics with those required by the job. The match does not give any indication of employee interest in the position or motivation to take on the new job. It is simply a first cut of employees who qualify for the position. This database is often used to create a succession plan for each position.

Nominations

Nominations are the least systematic internal recruitment method. They occur when someone who knows about a vacancy nominates another employee to fill it. In most cases, supervisors nominate one or more of their employees for a vacant position. Presumably, the supervisor nominates those employees whose KSAOs or competencies match those needed by the job. However, this process often results in very good employees not being nominated for a position. Supervisors or managers may use the nominating process to rid themselves of a problem employee or someone with whom they have poor interpersonal relations.

Nominations also leave the organization open to charges of discriminatory promotion practices. For example, in replacing a manager, the other senior managers who are male may fail to nominate any women for the position. The women employees who were passed over may ask whether the failure to nominate women was due to a lack of qualified female employees or to male bias against female managers.