YOUnique4Europe - Mapping and presenting your unique personal and social competences for better employability in a digital world
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Exercise 1.1 - Comparing recruiting processes

Recruitment refers to the overall process of attracting, screening, shortlisting and interviewing suitable candidates for jobs (also unpaid roles) within a company or an organisation. Internet-based technologies for recruitment have become widespread and they more and more often include the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). However, the degree of digitalization of the recruiting process depends on a company’s size, sector and working culture.

Small- and medium sized-companies tend to be less techy than big-sized companies. Though, a small-sized IT company can be techier than a medium-sized agricultural company. However, the sudden global pandemic has impacted recruiting in general, forcing and accelerating the use of IT for all companies. Let’s have a look at what recruiters expect, to understand their point of view and how recruiting works in a digital world of work, affected by the pandemic.


Before you start this exercise

How to complete this exercise

Step 1 – Basic recruiting process

Look at section (a) of Annex 1.1.1 to find out about the stages of a typical recruiting process, then represent them sketching a sort of infographic. Can you remember every stage without checking the Annex?

Step 2 – Latest digital age recruitment process

Now check section (b) of Annex 1.1.2 and integrate/modify the previous sketch with elements of the latest digital age recruiting process and then with elements of the pandemic effect on recruiting. Consult the internet if that helps!

Step 3 – Past & Present recruiting processes

Ask at least 2 persons older than you to describe their experience with recruiting to answer to the question: “How did recruiting work when you (X) started working at (name of the company/organisation/institution)?”                                      
X = your mum, your dad, your sister, your brother, your aunt, your grandmother, your grandfather, your neighbour, your friend, etc.


Congratulations - You nearly made it!

Finally, when you conduct your interviews take note about the place, the size of the company and its industry as these aspects count in determining the recruiting procedure. Reflect about it and sketch the recruiting process experienced by your interviewees. To what extent does it reflect the recruiting processes you had previously sketched?

Eventually answer to the following questions:

1)    What do the typical recruiting process and the digital age recruiting process have in common?
2)    What differs, instead?
3)    What differences have you noticed in terms of recruiting process’ stages by sector, country, size of the company? Argument it.
4)    How recruiting has changed compared to ten, twenty, thirty, forty years ago? Argument it.
5)    List at least three effects of the pandemic on recruiting in your country and/or in the field where you would like to work?

Take advantage of the internet every time you need some additional information. It may be interesting and convenient to look for information by sector and industry, size, and kind of company. Otherwise, you can investigate the meaning of keywords such as Human Resources (HR) and talent management, SMEs and corporations. Anyways, remember that you can always ask to some inspiring person close to you!


Educators' area

Background information and teaching material for guiding your students through the exercise or offering it in your classroom






