Written by: Talia Knowles
Talia Knowles is an avid reader, writer, and coffee enthusiast, with over five years of experience in writing and editing.
Reviewed by: Keca Ward
As a seasoned HR professional with over 20 years of experience, Keca is an expert in various aspects of Human Resources.
Updated on October 26, 2023
Are you looking to recruit new employees or just hire them? That’s actually a great question, as the two words have very different meanings, with one referring to a more comprehensive approach and the other a more straightforward filling of needs.
Lucky for you, this guide lays out the differences between recruitment and hiring to help you determine the best approach for your business.
Though they’re often used interchangeably, recruitment and hiring are two distinct phases of the employment process. The table below highlights some key differences between the two terms.
| Criteria | Recruitment | Hiring |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The process of sourcing, screening, and shortlisting candidates for a job. | The process of selecting a candidate and offering them a job. |
| Timeframe | Longer term, can take several weeks or months. | Shorter term, usually happens after the recruitment process is over. |
| Scope | Broader, includes various stages like advertising the job, sourcing candidates, screening resumes, conducting preliminary interviews. | Narrower, includes interviewing the shortlisted candidates, selecting the right candidate, and offering the job. |
| Main Responsibility | Typically the responsibility of recruiters or recruitment agencies. | Often handled by hiring managers or HR personnel. |
| Outcome | Ends with a list of qualified candidates. | Ends with an accepted job offer and an employee ready to start. |
If you’re looking to fill a vacant position, recruitment is the first step. Start this process by building a strong reputation as an employer and cleaning up your online profile. On major networking, recruitment, and review sites like LinkedIn and Glassdoor, fill out all your company details and upload images and videos of your staffers enjoying their work.
Next, identify the skills and experience needed for the position and craft an appealing job posting that can attract top talent. Post the ad on top job boards like LinkedIn, Indeed, Monster, and Dice and do a bit of searching on these sites for good candidates.
After you’ve identified strong candidates on job boards and via referrals, assess their qualifications and begin narrowing the field by eliminating some of the contenders.
Hiring is the final step or series of steps. It involves going through resumes, making background checks, interviewing candidates, narrowing the field, and ultimately choosing the best fit.
The hiring stage might also include drafting an offer letter, sending it to the potential hire, reaching a deal on compensation and benefits and onboarding your new employee.
Recruitment is much more than just finding suitable candidates with required skills. It’s also about building up a strongly positive reputation that will help drive talent to your company.
For employers, building a strong employer brand starts with understanding what kind of values and culture you want to foster within your business. Having a clear mission statement, as well as strong workplace policies and procedures, informs prospective employees of what to expect if they join your team.
Great customer and employee reviews online surely help. So if there are negative reviews out there, respond to them and address the issues highlighted – do your best to make readers feel your company is concerned about complaints and has done its best to eliminate them.
Job boards like Indeed will show your company’s score next to your business name. This score is based on employee reviews of your company as a workplace. If you have a low score or no score at all, it’s likely to be more difficult to attract quality applications.
Post positive feedback from current and past employees on your website and highlight any significant awards or accolades your business has received. Build your brand so that when people see your logo, website, and social media, they see a company they want to work for.
Advertising your available position with a clear and detailed job posting is the surest way to find qualified candidates. Posting on career websites and spreading the news through word of mouth are the best ways to get started.
Remember to include detailed information about the job:
Providing this information upfront lets job seekers know what they’re applying for, saving you and them time.
The next step in the recruitment process is interviewing qualified applicants.
Interviews should provide considerable insight on candidates’ abilities and personality, helping you make an informed decision. To ensure you choose wisely, be sure to ask questions that allow each candidate to showcase their knowledge, expectations, and communication skills.
Are you ready to make your hire? If so, it means you understand what makes this person tick, professionally speaking. You’ve assessed all of the top candidates’ skills and abilities, and selected this one applicant as the best fit for your company.
Keep in mind that the cost of a new hire can be as much as $5,000, depending on the size of the company and the demands of the job, so take your time and weigh all the key issues when making your decision.
When hiring a new employee, consider what you need and what each candidate offers. Clearly define expectations for both parties, and be sure both sides are aligned in terms of compensation, benefits, and work location.
Are you flexible when it comes to salary, vacation time, overtime pay, health insurance coverage, and work-from-home options? If so, the leading candidates should be aware of this. You may also have additional expectations depending on your business situation.
Finally, know what’s expected of you given the current labor market. In a strong job market, you may need to pay more than usual for quality employees.
Background checks are a crucial element of hiring, as you don’t want to learn, weeks after hiring, that your newest employee is a convicted felon. That’s not to say convicted felons cannot be fantastic employees – they surely can!
Still, it’s something you should know before they’re brought on board. So, before you make your decision, examine your top candidates’ work experience, credentials and certifications, education history, possible criminal record, and other relevant public information.
This can provide peace of mind, help narrow the field, and reduce legal risks associated with negligence or poor judgment. Depending on the type of job being offered, you may need to conduct fingerprinting as well.
Fingerprinting is common in a number of industries, such as education, healthcare, banking, law enforcement, and security services. It’s required for those applying for top military and security positions and for those working with sensitive information or equipment.
This screening helps employers verify an employee’s identity and may be mandated by law.
For supervisory roles, contact references to get a better understanding of each candidate’s history and experience. Knowing how well a candidate performed in previous positions and whether they were dependable and respected will help you make your choice.
A well-crafted job posting, a strong interview process, and an attractive salary go a long way toward attracting top talent. But the element that could put your business over the top is an excellent employer brand.
So do all you can to build an excellent online reputation, then leverage the key tools of recruitment and hiring to find great candidates and choose the one that will push your business to new heights!
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