Finding and choosing the right people for the right roles
🔍 Internal vs external📄 Job descriptions & specs⏱ 16 min📝 3 practice questions
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson you will be able to…
Explain the stages in the recruitment process
Compare internal and external recruitment
Distinguish between a job description and person specification
Evaluate different selection methods (interviews, tests, assessment centres)
Explain why recruitment must comply with equality legislation
The Process
Stages of Recruitment
1. Identify the vacancy — a role becomes available through growth, resignation, retirement or promotion
2. Job analysis — identify the duties, responsibilities and skills required for the role
3. Write job description and person specification — formal documents defining the role and ideal candidate
4. Advertise — internally (staff board, email) or externally (job sites, recruitment agencies, social media)
5. Shortlist and select — review applications, interview or test candidates, make a job offer
Where to Look
Internal vs External Recruitment
Internal Recruitment
Promote or redeploy existing employees
Cheaper and faster — no external advertising costs
Candidate already knows the business
Motivates staff — shows career progression
Creates another vacancy elsewhere in the business
Limits new ideas and fresh perspectives
External Recruitment
Advertise to candidates outside the business
Brings new skills, ideas and experience
Larger pool of applicants
More expensive — job boards, agencies, time to train
Longer to get productive — induction needed
Higher risk — unknown candidate
Key Documents
Job Description vs Person Specification
Job Description
Describes the role itself:
Job title and department
Main duties and responsibilities
Who the role reports to
Location and hours of work
Salary range
Person Specification
Describes the ideal candidate:
Essential qualifications and experience
Desirable skills and attributes
Personal qualities (communication, teamwork)
Used to shortlist and assess applicants fairly
Exam tip: The job description describes WHAT the job involves; the person specification describes WHO should do it.
Choosing Candidates
Selection Methods
Interviews
Most common method
Can assess communication and personality
Can be 1-to-1 or panel
Can be biased — personal impression may override evidence
Aptitude / Ability Tests
Psychometric tests (reasoning, numeracy)
Skills tests (typing speed, coding challenge)
More objective than interviews
Measure specific job-related abilities
Assessment Centres
Candidates do tasks over a day or more
Group exercises, presentations, role-play
Multiple assessors — reduces bias
Expensive and time-consuming to run
Legal Obligation
Equality & Fairness in Recruitment
Equality Act 2010
Businesses must not discriminate based on protected characteristics: age, sex, race, disability, religion, pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender reassignment — at any stage of recruitment or employment.
Job adverts must not specify a gender, age range, or religion unless objectively justified
Interview questions must be job-relevant — asking about plans to have children is discriminatory
Person specifications must use objective, measurable criteria — not vague preferences
Businesses found guilty of discrimination can face employment tribunal claims and reputational damage
Practice Question 1 of 3
A retail manager leaves the business and the company promotes a current employee to fill the role. This is an example of:
AExternal recruitment — bringing in fresh talent
BInternal recruitment — filling the role from within the existing workforce
CDelayering — removing a layer of management
DSelection — shortlisting external applicants
Correct: B. Promoting an existing employee to fill a vacancy is internal recruitment. It is cheaper and faster than advertising externally and motivates existing staff by showing there is career progression. However, it leaves another vacancy elsewhere, and limits the introduction of new ideas or skills from outside.
Practice Question 2 of 3
A document listing the duties and responsibilities of a job, who it reports to, and the salary range is called a:
APerson specification
BJob description
CCV (curriculum vitae)
DEmployment contract
Correct: B. A job description sets out the tasks, responsibilities, reporting line and salary for the role — it describes the job itself. A person specification, by contrast, describes the qualities, qualifications and skills the ideal candidate should have. Both documents are used in the recruitment process.
Practice Question 3 of 3
A large company uses assessment centres where candidates complete group tasks, presentations and role-play scenarios over a full day. Compared to interviews, what is the main advantage of this approach?
AIt is much cheaper and quicker than holding interviews
BMultiple assessors observe candidates across different tasks, reducing personal bias and giving a fuller picture of ability
CCandidates do not need to submit a CV or application form
DIt is easier to comply with the Equality Act 2010
Correct: B. Assessment centres use multiple assessors observing candidates across a range of realistic tasks. This reduces the personal bias that can occur in a one-to-one interview, and gives a broader, more evidence-based view of the candidate's capabilities. The main disadvantage is the significant cost and time required to run them.
Key Takeaways
What to Remember
Recruitment involves identifying the vacancy, writing documents, advertising, and selecting
Internal is cheaper and motivating; external brings new talent but costs more and takes longer
Job description = the role; Person specification = the ideal candidate
Selection methods: interviews (easy but biased), tests (objective), assessment centres (thorough but expensive)
The Equality Act 2010 requires fair, non-discriminatory recruitment at every stage