What Is a Recruitment Report?

A recruitment report is a formal written report that outlines all the details about a recruitment campaign or process. The report seeks to evaluate or assess an organization’s talent acquisition and recruitment effort.        

According to an online report compiled by Zety, 1 in 6 job candidates who applied for a position were asked for an interview. In 2016, the average time it took to hire a new employee was 39 days. Further, around 87% of recruitment specialists and professionals use LinkedIn to check potential candidates.  

Ways of Recruiting

There are many ways of recruiting an individual. In the professional world, human resource practitioners are typically in charge of recruiting new employees. The screening process may vary from company to company. However, there are several universal ways of recruiting a person. The following examples describe just some of these common methods.  

Direct Advertisements. A popular and straightforward way of recruitment is through direct advertising. Companies and organizations put up signs and promotional material to advertise job vacancies to the general public. Whether it is through old school newspaper classified ads or via online job portals, companies will typically partner with a third party to have their businesses listed on a job website. The job descriptions are then uploaded online and applicants can directly fill out an application form or send in their resume. In today’s Digital Age, there are dozens of job websites both local and international. They serve as an important platform that links employers to job hunters. Still in other cases, companies prefer direct hiring through their official website.Job Fairs. Another common way of recruiting individuals is by holding events. Job fairs, networking events and other similar gatherings provide an avenue for job seekers to meet with potential employers and initiate the application process. In a typical career fair, participating companies put up a booth and advertise themselves while entertaining prospective job candidates. Even for graduating seniors and college students, it is quite common for organizations to hold career fairs specifically targeted to students or fresh graduates. These companies hold events on school campuses in hopes of hiring exceptional students. For employers, participating in job fairs is an excellent way to get exposure and generate awareness for your brand. You could be attracting the best talent by simply putting up a career booth that really stands out and by placing engaging and accommodating talent scouts to man it. Internships. One of the most promising methods of recruitment is an internship. Sometimes referred to as an apprenticeship, an internship is basically a trial program wherein the hired recruit is not technically considered a full-time or regular employee. The program is essentially an on-the-job training meant to introduce and develop the skills of a new recruit. Internships are common among university students. Many academic courses require actual work experience in the form of internships. An internship program may serve as a practicum course or could simply be part of an academic requirement. The main purpose or overall objective of a lot of interns is to gain the necessary work experience and get a taste of actual and ‘real work’. Employers who hire interns would do well to truly maximize their learning by offering them a good training ground. Referrals. Another common way of recruitment is through referral or word of mouth. When an existing employee recommends another individual for a certain job position, the former is referring the latter for the job. A lot of companies prefer or have more confidence in employee referrals than other recruitment methods. In an employee referral, the vetting process or verification is partially covered. Especially if an employee is trusted and dependable, their endorsement can carry a lot of weight in the prospect’s applicant process. Further, it is also a common practice for companies to provide incentives to employees if they participate in the former’s referral program. Cash prizes and other benefits are usually given if the company ends up hiring the referred individual.

Qualities of a Good Recruitment Officer  

Recruitment is no easy task. A good talent acquisition specialist, recruitment professional or headhunter requires a set of skills and qualities that will enable them to be more effective in their job. Fortunately, these skills can be learned and nurtured with enough practice and commitment. The following examples describe some major qualities a good recruitment officer ought to possess.  

Excellent Interpersonal Skills. A good recruitment professional must have excellent or above average interpersonal skills. Since they are in the business of screening and recruiting people, they ought to know how to deal with different types of people. It is necessary to have the right set of social skills. To be effective in the position, the recruiter should know how to engage with people and communicate effectively. Being approachable and open are also useful qualities. It is understandable for an applicant to be nervous or anxious during job interviews. A good recruitment officer not only knows how to read a room, but he or she has the ability to put the other person at ease, or at least make them feel welcome and comfortable. A rude and uptight recruitment officer may not be the best first impression you want to give off as a representative of the company. Observant. It would benefit both the job applicant and the employer if the talent scout or recruitment officer pays attention to even the smallest details. Being observant and detail-oriented is crucial because it speaks of the ability to notice things that may easily be overlooked. For example, observation skills are key during a job interview. A good recruitment officer takes note not just of the verbal response but even the job applicant’s body language and overall demeanor. This does not make the officer free of biases and judgment towards the individual, but it can aid in their objective decision-making. Keen observation skills means that you are paying attention not just to what’s being said or indicated in a resume; but what’s not being said as well. Listens Intently. Effective communication skills do not only pertain to oral and written communication. Active listening also makes up an important aspect of communication. As a recruitment and talent acquisition professionals must know how to listen intently. Job interviews should be a dynamic exchange and therefore, shouldn’t be dominated by one party. If the candidate or even the recruiter does all the talking, there would be no learning or mutual understanding to speak of. Only by listening and giving your full attention to the applicant can you respond more meaningfully and interact more genuinely. Oftentimes, the art of active listening is severely overlooked. For recruitment officers and talent acquisition specialists whose job is to enlist potential employees and process interested applicants, listening is perhaps even more important than talking.

How to Create a Recruitment Report

To create a recruitment report, you need a clear objective or direction if you want a comprehensive report. And if you are looking for reliable report templates to use as reference, there are numerous sample templates in the selection above that are free and editable. Simply choose one that suits your needs and follow the  basic steps below.   

Step 1: Objective

As mentioned earlier, you need to have a clear recruitment objective or smart goal before you can come up with a comprehensive and reliable report. The first step is figuring out what it is you want to gain from your recruitment report. The objectives may vary depending on the needs of the company or organization. For instance, a company may find the need to expedite the job application process. While others may want to focus on creating a more efficient onboarding system. Just keep in mind that your objective should be attainable and realistic. An objective that’s too long or complicated might not help as well. As much as possible, try to keep your statements brief and direct.   

Step 2: Organization

Once you have stated your recruitment objective, the next step is to figure out the organization of your report. In other words, you need to establish a format that will work or serve your objective accordingly. How you organize your report matters. Note that it is directly tied to your objectives. So be sure to arrange or order your report in a logical manner. In your HR dashboard, you can list and arrange your items by department or by job position. Alternatively, you can also label it per quarter or per year. If you are still unsure of how to proceed, you can use any of the available templates above for more ideas.         

Step 3: Figures and Results

The meat of your recruitment report ought to be the actual figures and variables of your recruitment process or campaign. If your objective is to highlight a recruitment campaign or plan, it might be helpful to include significant milestones or specific plans in your report. But if your goal is to streamline your company’s recruitment process, you need to input the actual numbers and figures. This includes the number of applicants, number of open positions, number of shortlisted candidates, etc. Further, make sure to install a mechanism for tracking and updating your data. 

Step 4: Recommendations 

Once you have covered all the data in your report, the last step is to share your recommendations. The work does not end with just filling in the necessary details. There must be an assurance that the lessons gained from the report will be applied. For instance, if your actual recruitment data does not meet your objectives or at par with your expectations, then you have to indicate what the next steps are. This section is meant to address any recruitment gaps or areas that need improvement by providing concrete action plans and strategies.     

FAQs

What is a recruitment report?

A recruitment report is a formal report that outlines various details or data regarding a company’s recruitment process or campaign.


How do you write a recruitment report?

To write a recruitment report, you need to establish a clear objective and organize your report in such a way that it meets your recruitment objectives. You can refer to the previous section for a more detailed instruction guide on how to create a basic recruitment report.


What are the 5 stages of recruitment?

According to IceHRM, the five stages of recruitment are recruitment planning, strategy development, candidate search, screening, and finally, evaluation and monitoring.

A good recruitment report is specific and relevant. More importantly, it should be backed up by solid data and supporting facts. Browse the extensive library of editable templates above, select one that suits your needs and create your own comprehensive recruitment report now!