The quality of an organisation depends on the quality of its staff so recruitment plays a key role in an organisation's success. For this reason, all organisations take recruitment very seriously.

For one thing, having the right employee in the right position at the right time can make or break a company's performance especially in today's competitive business environment. So any delays or problems in staffing can have a devastating effect on a company's performance.

Also, errors in recruitment can be costly both in terms of time and money. Other than the expenses involved in the procedure such as advertising, interviewing, dismissing unsatisfactory staff is a legal minefield in many countries. This means that organisations must get it right the first time.

In most organisations of any size, recruitment is usually the main responsibility of the Human Resources Department who will handle the whole process in consultation with the heads of the concerned departments.

A host of recruitment agencies exist to help match employee and employer. These agencies are of many different types; some specialise in temporary job placement, others specialise in certain fields such as accounting or medical staff.

Fortunately the advent of the internet has done much to streamline the recruitment process. Organisations can now advertise online or browse databases of online resumes. Carrying out background checks and verifying job seeker applications in terms of educational background and work histories is also much easier to do online.