In a short essay, list three major sources of potential job candidates. Include a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of each major source to support your answer

What will be an ideal response?

Answer: (any three of the following)

Advertising
The advantages advertising provides is that it can reach large numbers of people and can get immediate feedback. The disadvantage of advertising is that it generates many unqualified candidates.

Employee referrals
The great advantage of referrals is that they can generate strong candidates. Employees know their reputation within the organization is at stake when they make a referral, so they tend to refer only appropriate and well-qualified candidates. A disadvantage of employee referrals is that they tend to be homogeneous and may produce a nondiverse field of candidates.

Internal searches
The advantages of internal searches include low cost, a tendency to build employee morale, and candidates who are already familiar to the organization. The disadvantages of internal searches include a limited, and often nondiverse, supply of candidates.

Temporary help services
Temporary help services provide prescreened, ready-to-work employees who can usually fit in well with an organization. The disadvantage of this source is that the agency takes a cut of each employee's pay, so the service tends to be quite expensive. Generally, temp services are not a good choice for long-term employment.

School placement
Schools can produce large numbers of diverse candidates whose education and skill levels can be reliably assessed. When using school placement, companies typically are dealing with graduates who have no relevant work experience, so candidates are often limited to filling entry-level positions.

Employment agencies
Private employment agencies can provide highly screened, highly qualified candidates who are highly likely to be successful on the job. This success comes at a cost, however, as private agencies can be quite pricey. Public agencies have no cost, but their candidates typically aren't as well-screened or qualified as candidates from private agencies. Generally speaking, a private agency might be a better choice for filling a high-ranking, highly specialized position, while a public agency works well for finding everyday employees.