Among the many definitions of Human Resource Management (HRM), this paper will approach it from a sistemic perspective. That is to say, HRM comprises the whole range of activities from the need to fill a free post to the time when an employee leaves the firm. The first one is the recruitment process, which is divided into three stages: Application, selection and socialization. This paper will leave out the latter, focusing in the use of HRIS (Human Resources Information Systems) for the recruitment process until the final appointment decision.
Specifically, the first decision to be made by the firm is whether the recruitment will be internal or external. Table 1 shows a comparative between the pros and cons of each type of recruitment. As it can be seen, the internal recruitment has, initially, more advantages than the external. This is why several academics (e.g. Deguy, 1989; Peña Baztán, 1990 and Díez de Castro et al., 2002) recommend this option whenever it is feasible and suitable. Only in those cases that this is not valid or sufficient, the firm must resort to external recruitment. Nevertheless, it is necessary to keep in mind that this statement is to be taken cautiously. There is no perfect recruitment method; the choice will have to be made considering the particular circumstances of the firm and its objectives.
European and Mediterranean Conference on Information Systems (EMCIS) 2006,
July 6-7 2006, Costa Blanca, Alicante, Spain
J. A. Fernandez-Sanchez et al.
Use of HRIS in recruitment process. The Spanish case.
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Internal recruitment External recruitment advantages disadvantages Advantages disadvantages
Low cost Limited offer Higher number of candidates High cost
Faster results Interest conflicts Slower
Better knowledge of candidates Lack of authority due to excess of trust
No prior knowledge of candidates Shorter socialization period Lack of innovation and new ideas
Encourage change