The Role of People Professionals in Recruitment and Selection of Organisational Talent

Introduction

Significance of Recruitment and Selection in the Employee lifecycle

Recruitment and selection sit at the heart of the employee lifecycle. This stage of an employee lifecycle involves an organisation bringing in new talent that will shape the organisation’s future. The individuals an organisation brings on board play a crucial role in shaping the team’s performance, productivity, and overall morale. Thus, a bad hire can be pretty expensive for an organisation, extending beyond financial implications to include time lost and issues related to cultural alignment. People professionals take a central role in this process, ensuring that the recruitment and selection process brings in the right fit for the role and the organisation. When this step is executed correctly, the benefits go far beyond filling a vacancy; People professionals can build teams that perform, innovate, and remain committed. Hence, while people professionals are often perceived as advisors who simply support recruiting managers, their role is broader and more strategic. They not only offer advice but also create, direct, and manage systems that facilitate equitable, inclusive, and efficient recruitment for companies. By shaping how vacancies are advertised, the assessment of candidates, and the decision-making process, people professionals ensure that recruitment and selection add long-term value to the business

The Strategic Role of People Professionals in Recruitment and Selection

Internal Recruitment: Growing from Within

Recruitment can happen either internally or externally. Internal recruitment entails promoting or moving existing employees into new roles. By employing techniques such as workforce planning, people professionals can pinpoint skill gaps and anticipate future needs for the organisation. For example, in large public-sector entities such as the NHS, workforce planning is crucial for ensuring that there are enough trained staff to meet patient demand. HR teams carefully analyse areas where there might be shortages and plan their recruitment strategies accordingly. When it comes to internal recruitment and selection, the focus is on nurturing and developing the existing workforce rather than seeking new hires from outside the company.

This approach is not only key in ensuring quick response to filling vacancies, but it also helps boost engagement and offer career paths for employee growth. This has also been a critical tool in ensuring employee retention. According to a CIPD survey, 52% of organisations reported improved retention when internal candidates were prioritised for new opportunities (CIPD, 2024).

To effectively recruit internally, people professionals guarantee that decisions are grounded in transparent and equitable standards. People professionals develop clear career frameworks that help employees understand progression paths. Additionally, they establish well-defined standards for promotions and internal transitions. For instance, they will focus on employees’ past performance, skills, and potential rather than relying on subjective opinions. This approach builds trust and motivation among staff, confirming that internal opportunities are open to anyone who meets the necessary criteria. People professionals are also responsible for coaching managers on fair evaluation techniques to eradicate favouritism and bias. People experts also help managers to hold conversations with unsuccessful applicants to ensure that they maintain high morale and minimise the risk of disengagement, resignations, and disruptions in workplace relationships.

External Recruitment: Bringing in Fresh Talent

Even organisations with strong internal talent pools often need to recruit externally. This could be necessary to introduce new skills, gain fresh perspectives, or fill positions where there are no suitable internal candidates. At this point, it is the responsibility of People professionals to design fair, inclusive, and transparent recruitment campaigns to attract the right candidates.

People professionals, like in internal recruitment, also play numerous roles in external recruitment to ensure that the right talent is injected into the organisation. One of their most crucial responsibilities is ensuring compliance with the law, particularly the Equality Act 2010 in the UK. Failure to ensure compliance through guaranteeing fair and inclusive practices may result in an organisation incurring significant financial losses due to litigation and discrimination claims. By using inclusive and non-discriminatory language and processes in recruitment and selection, people professionals help organisations stay compliant with the law.

People professionals also promote inclusivity at this stage by developing inclusive job descriptions that reduce bias and attract diverse applicants. Promoting inclusivity drives an organisation’s culture to one that embraces diversity and creativity. People professionals also leverage employer branding to appeal to the value-driven candidates. An excellent example is the John Lewis Partnership, which champions its employee-owned model and commitment to social responsibility in recruitment campaigns. This strong employer brand attracts candidates who align with the company’s culture and values. Finally, to ensure fairness, people professionals help develop structured assessment frameworks to fairly evaluate external applicants. When candidates feel respected and fairly treated, they’re more likely to accept offers and speak positively about the employer even when they are not selected.

People professionals have evolved beyond their traditional administrative roles; they now function as strategic partners within organisations. When it comes to recruitment and selection, their goal is to ensure that hiring practices align with the long-term objectives of the business. Are we hiring to meet a short-term gap or building a team for future growth? Are we looking for cultural add or just culture fit? These are strategic questions that require insight, data, and judgment. By managing both internal and external channels strategically, people professionals enhance organisational capability, diversity, and agility.

Challenges people professionals face in recruitment and selection, and how to overcome them

While people professionals are expected to ensure a smooth and effective recruitment and selection process, they often face challenges that may undermine fairness, inclusivity, and effectiveness. It is important that people professionals are able to identify these challenges early enough and put in place strategies to prevent these issues from happening. Doing so will ensure that they are able to instil the same values throughout the employee lifecycle without any risk of encountering unethical or illegal practices that may eventually taint the organisation’s image.

Unconscious Bias in Hiring

In an attempt to promote diversity, at times, unconscious bias may stand in the way, affecting hiring. Managers and interviewers may unintentionally favour applicants with whom they are already familiar, whether due to a shared background, accent, or level of education. This can result in less diverse teams and overlooked talent.

Consider the example of the BBC, which recognised that unconscious bias was limiting diversity, particularly in creative roles. Candidates from underrepresented backgrounds were not always progressing beyond initial screening, despite strong qualifications. To address this, the BBC introduced blind recruitment in certain stages of hiring. Personal details like names, ages, and schools were removed from CVs before shortlisting. This shift allowed hiring managers to concentrate solely on skills and experience rather than a candidate’s background. As a result, the BBC saw a broader and more diverse pool of candidates invited for interviews, and applicants reported an increased perception of fairness throughout the selection process.

When faced with such a challenge, people professionals may help drive change by Training hiring managers to recognise and challenge their own biases or using structured interviews and clear scoring rubrics to standardise decision-making. By actively reassessing and redesigning these processes, people professionals can help make hiring decisions more objective and inclusive. This approach not only enhances the fairness of the hiring process but also improves the organisation’s image among potential recruits, who will appreciate an inclusive and equitable recruitment experience.

Balancing speed and quality

The modern competitive market pushes organisations under pressure to recruit quickly, particularly in high-growth environments. However, while speed is critical, it can come at the cost of quality. Fast hiring processes that lack structure and rigour may lead to poor hiring decisions, disengaged employees, and high turnover. This has been evident in the case of Deliveroo, one of the UK’s fastest-growing tech companies. During its rapid expansion, the firm faced criticism for relying heavily on temporary contractors and for its inconsistent recruitment practices, which sometimes prioritised filling roles quickly over cultural and skill alignment.

People professionals are uniquely positioned to resolve this tension between speed and quality. One approach is the adoption of agile recruitment workflows, which break down hiring into manageable sprints and allow for rapid feedback and adjustment. These workflows maintain momentum without sacrificing process integrity. For example, rather than waiting until the final round to evaluate cultural fit, employers might assess this early on through pre-recorded video interviews or behavioural assessments.

Pre-employment assessments also play a crucial role in streamlining the process without reducing rigour. Tools like Situational Judgment Tests (SJTs) or skill-specific challenges can help people professionals quickly identify top-tier candidates who not only meet the role requirements but are also likely to thrive in the organisation’s environment.

Additionally, the use of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) can significantly enhance recruitment efficiency. These platforms help people professionals automate repetitive tasks like CV screening, interview scheduling, and status updates. For instance, companies like ASOS use their ATS not only for compliance but also to ensure a smooth and consistent candidate experience across global teams. By combining technology with human oversight, people professionals can uphold quality standards while meeting urgent hiring needs.

Legal and Ethical Compliance

Legal compliance is a fundamental requirement during recruitment. Failing to adhere to employment laws can expose organisations to reputational damage, tribunal claims, and costly settlements. In the UK, the Equality Act 2010 requires that employers treat candidates fairly and prohibits discrimination based on protected characteristics such as age, gender, ethnicity, and disability. Yet, many organisations, especially smaller ones without dedicated legal counsel, struggle to stay on top of evolving legal obligations in recruitment and selection.

People professionals serve as both advisors and gatekeepers of compliance. They ensure that recruitment processes are not only practical but also legally sound. For instance, they guarantee that job adverts are written without bias, interview questions comply with legal standards, and candidate data is processed according to GDPR guidelines.

Organisations like BT Group demonstrate how large employers can embed legal compliance into recruitment operations. BT’s people team developed structured interview guides and mandatory unconscious bias training to ensure every hiring manager understands their obligations under UK law. The company also maintains transparent records of every hiring decision, helping defend against potential claims of discrimination.

To support this, people professionals can rely on resources from CIPD and ACAS to stay current with changes in legislation. They also proactively embed equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) principles into all recruitment practices, going beyond legal compliance to promote a truly inclusive workplace. For example, documenting every decision from shortlisting to the offer stage not only helps protect the organisation legally but also reinforces a culture of fairness and accountability.

CONCLUSION

In the selection and recruitment process, people professionals are more than just administrators. They act as planners, facilitators, and culture champions, helping organisations find the right people fairly and inclusively. Whether deciding to promote from within or attract fresh talent, people professionals guide each step: designing processes, reducing bias, ensuring fairness, and protecting the organisation’s reputation. By doing this, they are not just recruiters; they strengthen the entire employee lifecycle, build trust with staff, and make the organisation a better place to work. As UK organisations face increasing skills shortages and evolving workforce expectations, the strategic input of people professionals is more vital than ever. Through their efforts, businesses don’t just fill roles; they build cultures, drive innovation, and ensure that the right people are in the right roles, at the right time.