schools and colleges, with a quarter of respondents considering
local newspapers to be the best method of recruitment. Graduates,
on the other hand, are usually recruited on a national basis. A range
of methods include journals and national newspapers, speculative
applications, vacancy directories, recruitment agencies, careers
services and contacts with schools and colleges. Clerical/secretarial
and manual/craft recruits are generally sourced on a local basis via
local newspapers, with less than a third considering agencies. For
professional/technical vacancies, the most commonly used channel
is specialist or professional journals. Recruitment agencies,
however, are also cited as a useful source of recruits. When consid-
ering senior managerial positions, recruitment usually takes place in
a national labour market. National press advertising is common, as
are headhunters and professional journal advertising. Finally, other
managerial positions are recruited in both national and local labour
markets depending on the specific nature of the vacancy. National
and local press, as well as professional journals and agencies, all
play a role in recruiting this particular group.
Companies frequently fail to recognize the importance of devel-
oping formal relationships with recruitment channel members.
These relationships can be a great source of competitive advantage
for companies, as third parties are able to act as a referral market,
providing word-of-mouth referrals about specific companies to
potential recruits. They are also able to act as a gatekeeper to poten-
tial employees. When provided with job descriptions and details of
the requisite skills and competence which match the profile the
company wishes to convey to its customers, they are able to save the
company valuable time and effort in sourcing suitable candidates.
There is no doubt that during times when there are more jobs avail-
able than candidates for those jobs, it is those companies which have
already developed long-term relationships with recruitment third
parties who are likely to benefit.
Building relationships with individuals who are likely to apply
directly for positions is also important in developing a relationship
approach for recruitment. All candidates are also potential cus-
tomers, and, whatever the outcome of their application, a profes-
sional approach to recruitment can ensure that applicants are left
with a good impression of the company. Potential employees
should be given realistic expectations of the job from the very
beginning. Press advertisements, brochures or information sup-
plied by third parties should accurately reflect the job requirements
The recruitment and internal market domains 307