Staff recruitment methods

The recruitment methods vary depending on the level and type of position sought, but the overall structure of the steps is uniform across all positions:

A telephone exploratory interview

Good allocation of the recruiter’s time is crucial in the recruitment process, which is why a short, high-quality telephone interview with the candidate before the live interview is essential. This can be a brief discussion of the candidate’s expectations, the prospects of the proposed position and a check that the expectations of the candidate and the recruiter are aligned. In case of a large gap, this recruitment method may be the first and last step. This saves time for both the recruiter and the candidate.

Cognitive live interview

The first live interview with a candidate is usually a cognitive one. At this stage of the selection process, there is no need to go into technical details before the personality match is clear. The exploratory interview reveals whether the candidate is interested in the position, whether his/her motivation is sufficient, and whether he/she is a good personal fit for the company.

Test/task

This method of recruitment is a really important part of a progressive company’s recruitment process. The test allows both the candidate to get to know the employer’s expectations and the recruiter to technically test the candidate’s knowledge. At the same time, this method also provides an excellent check on the candidate’s motivation and allows a technical comparison between different candidates.

Demo day/ test day

The demo day or half day is a more common recruitment method in IT recruitment, but is increasingly being used in other areas of recruitment. If a candidate’s suitability has already been proven by telephone, live interview and assignment methods, the recruiter can arrange for the candidate to spend a few hours observing the company’s operations before making an offer. This could include attending a morning team meeting or a weekly work session. This way, the candidate gets to know the prospective employer better before making a job decision, and at the same time the employees of the prospective employer can get to know the potential future colleague better. This method is part of a progressive recruitment policy and needs to be well prepared by familiarising the company’s employees with the objectives of the method.

These 4 methods make for an ideal quality recruitment process that is as short as possible. It is important to emphasise that the speed of selection is as important as the quality of the selection methods, as candidates who get lost in a long process become unmotivated and opt for employers who use faster and clearer selection methodologies.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to recruit?

The time it takes to recruit depends on the preparation for the selection, the size of the sample and the dedicated specialists. For example, if you want to recruit one .NET developer for a company in Vilnius, the recruitment timeframe can vary between 25 – 30 working days. It is important to know that the selection timeframe does not include the waiting period for the selected candidate. So, the selection can take up to 25 working days, but the candidate still has to leave the current company, which can take an additional 3 weeks.

What are the criteria for selecting employees?

Criteria include technical experience criteria, which are measured both in terms of time and similarity of experience to the position offered, personal qualities criteria, which already require the help of recruiters, as well as motivation criteria, loyalty to the employer criteria, criteria of relevance of the desired remuneration to the experience etc.

How is recruitment carried out?

The recruitment process is carried out through different channels: public search, direct search by contacting candidates who are not looking for a job and referral search by contacting a referral network (if the recruitment company has developed one). The best quality of recruitment is achieved by using all 3 methods at the same time, but statistically the most suitable candidates are statistically selected by headhunting.

What is recruitment?

Recruitment is the process of selecting the most suitable candidates according to the remuneration budget specified by the company. Recruitment also serves the function of employer branding and helps to assess the attractiveness of a company on the labour market.