Course overview
Recruitment failures are expensive: poorly defined requirements attract unsuitable applicants, inconsistent screening creates bias and delay, and weak interviews produce decisions that cannot be defended. HR and hiring managers need a disciplined process that identifies the capabilities required, reaches suitable candidate pools, assesses evidence fairly and records decisions clearly. This course addresses the practical work between an approved vacancy and a defensible shortlist.
Participants learn to convert a business need into a job analysis, job description, person specification and selection criteria. They plan sourcing channels, write inclusive advertisements, manage applications, screen CVs against evidence-based criteria and apply structured shortlisting methods. The course also covers structured interviews, competency-based questions, scoring guides, reference checking, candidate communication, recruitment metrics and controls for bias, confidentiality and legal risk.
Teaching combines short instructor briefings with recruitment cases, job-analysis work, CV-screening simulations, interview design, panel decision-making and group review of recruitment documentation. Cases reflect common hiring situations in banking, public service, NGOs, professional services and operational roles. Participants leave with a reusable recruitment and shortlisting toolkit containing templates, scoring tools, checklists and an action plan for improving a live or anticipated recruitment process.
The course is suited to HR practitioners, recruiters, talent acquisition staff and managers who participate in hiring panels. It is particularly useful for professionals moving from informal hiring practices to structured, consistent and auditable selection decisions.
