Question

Compare the demerits of external sources of recruitment.

Answer 1

Internal recruitment suffers from the following disadvantages:

1. There may be inbreeding as fresh talent from outside is not obtained. Internal candidates may not give a new outlook and fresh ideas to business.
2. Unsuitable candidates may be promoted to positions of higher responsibility because the choice is limited.
3. The employees may become lethargic if they are sure of time-bound promotions. There may be infighting among those who aspire for promotion within the organisation.
4. Internal recruitment is not a complete method in itself. The enterprise must resort to external recruitment at some point because all vacancies cannot be filled from within the organisation.

Demerits of External Sources: 

1. Demoralization: When new employees join the business, current employees may feel demoralised since they believe they should have been given these jobs. Some older employees may have heartburn. Some employees may depart the firm to pursue greater opportunities elsewhere.
2. Lack of Co-Operation: Older employees may be resistant to new hires due to a sense of loss of rights. This issue will worsen if external candidates fill higher-level posts.
3. Expensive: Recruiting from outside is extremely costly. The first step is costly media advertisements, which then include written tests and interviews. If suitable individuals are not accessible, the process may need to be repeated.
4. Problem of Maladjustment: New arrivals may have struggled to acclimatise to their new environment. They may not be temperamentally compatible with the new people. In such circumstances, employees may decide to resign or have management replace them. These factors negatively impact organisational performance.

	Internal sources Demerits	External sources Demerits
1.	Inbreeding	Dissatisfaction and frustration among existing employees.
2.	Possible moral problems of those not promoted.	Lengthy Process
3.	"Political" information for promotions.	Costly Process