The Recruitment Process

In the first part of this e-book, I’m going to explain the most common steps of the recruitment process, showing you the employer’s thinking at each step, and what you need to do when you’re applying for a job.

Panning For Gold

Employers in the computing industry are panning for gold. They have work that needs doing, and they are sifting through the applications that they have received to find the right person to do it. To find that person, they’ll end up looking at a lot of applications from people who clearly aren’t suitable for the role, and plenty of applications from people who may or may not be what they’re looking for. If they’re lucky, they’ll strike gold and find someone who is perfect for the role. It can take a long time, and several attempts, before they find the person they are looking for.

Every employer has a process that they follow, and each step of that process helps the employer filter out anyone who should not make it to the next step. It also helps them to identify which candidates are worth looking at further. Sometimes this process is well-defined, and sometimes it is best described as ad-hoc, but from firm to firm it tends to follow similar lines.

Whenever you apply for a role, always have a look to see if the employer has posted details about his recruitment process detailed on his website. If he hasn’t, always ask at the first available opportunity to find out what the process will be. This will help you prepare as thoroughly as possible.

The Commonly-Used Steps Of Recruitment

Although every employer handles recruitment in his own fashion, recruitment normally follows some variation of:

1. Write a job description.
2. Advertise the job.
3. Receive applications from candidates.
4. CV sift.
5. Interview(s) and assessment(s).
6. Make a job offer.
7. Monitor the new starter during their probation period.

Let’s get into the first of these: the job description.

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