Question

What is the difference between internal and external recruiting? Discuss the positive and negative aspects of each as it relates to the organization and employees. Which would you prefer as an employee?, as a manager?

Answer 1

Internal recruiting creates the understanding for management to perform restructuring of the current workforce or reassignment, to free up the current resources and employees to be utilized in another process and department. It does not require additional capital but can affect the productivity aspect of the current work processes. Although, in times of crisis and critical project stages, internal recruitment allows for an easier progression and the fact that the individuals recruited can easily blend with the culture and would have a working knowledge of the “lingo” would make it easier for them to adjust to the changes.

Internal recruitment does not require additional capital to be invested by the management, is faster than external recruitment and makes use of talent already present at the company to its maximum potential and is catered to a challenging project where familiarity with the work environment is necessary.

External recruitment requires the management to look outside the company for individuals to make them a part of the structure, it starts with the company posting for a job opening and the HR manager and the line manager interviewing prospective candidates for the position.

Though external recruitment can be a lengthy process that requires a large amount of capital, a company would only add to its current workforce and not take away anything from it, increasing its long term productivity. The individuals would need some time to be inducted but soon, from there, they can start adding value to the organization as a whole.

External recruitment requires capital investment, has time constraints and requires time to train the individual in the ways of the company's culture. However, talented individuals bring fresh eyes and perspective to the table, which can be a crucial aspect of innovation, collaboration consideration and bringing more strategically sound changes to the current project or work environment. As an employee, I would prefer external recruitment because internal recruitment comes with its own set of challenges and since restructuring can impact other processes negatively requires the management to make tradeoffs which can have a negative overall impact. On the other hand, as a manager, I would prefer either internal or external recruitment based on the circumstances and requirements constraints.