1. Advertisement:- Enterprise advertises vacancies through newspaper, trade journals & magazines. The content of advertisement & media through which advertisement is to be given is decided by Human Resource department. It is convienient & economical method.
2. Casual Callers:- On occassions people drop in without any announcement of vacancy to find out if jobs are available. A waiting list of such visitors may be prepared & they may be screened to fill the vacancies whenever they arise.
3. Gate hiring or Recruitment at factory gate: It is usually followed by factories to fill up vacancies at lower level. Large enterprises usually plays a notice on notice board specifying details of job available. A large number of unemployed persons assemble at gate where personnel manage scrutinise them & pick the persons as per requirement Small workshops recruit fitters, welders etc, through this source.
4. Educational Institutions:- School, colleges & professional institutions offer opportunities for recruiting their students. Prospective employeers varify credentials of students & conduct interview directly, placement cells have been set up in well known educational institutions to help students in securing suitable jobs.
5. Management Consultants:- Help to recruit technical, professional & managerial personnel for example accountants, engineers. They specialise in middle level & top level executive placements. They maintain data bank of persons with different qualifications & skills & even advertise jobs on behalf their clients to recruit right type of personnel.
6. Recommendations:- Friends & relative of present employees are also good source of recruitment. Many concern prefer such candidates as they generally stand surety for new recruits and their background is partly known & type of preliminary screening take place.
7. Labour Contractor:- Workers are recruited through labour contractors who are themselves employees of organisation. The dis advantage of this system is that if contractor leaves the organisation, all the workers employed through him will also leave. Recruitment through this source has been banned for public sector units. However, this practice is still common in case of construction industry.
8. Telecasting:- The practice of telecasting of vacant posts over T.V. (Doordarshan & other channels) is gaining importance these days. Special programmes like ‘Job Watch’, ‘Youth Pulse’, ‘Employment News’ etc, over T.V. have become quite popular in recruitment for various types of jobs. The use of T.V. as a source of recruitment is less as compared to other sources because it is an expensive medium.
9. Union list:- ‘Sometimes trade Unions list maintain list of candidates seeking employment in the concern. Such candidates could be recruited in consultation with union.
10. Central application file:- A file is maintained of past applicants who were not selected earlier, in case of immediate requirements such candidates can also be contacted.

Merits:-

1) Wide Options:– It brings large number of applicants as it permits enterprise to have free hands in making selection.

2) Fresh talent:– Enterprise can expect to get fresh talented candidates from outside which leads to infusion of New Blood & new ideas in to enterprises.

3) Element of competition:– This is a healthy feature from point of view of enterprise as internal candidates have to compete with outside candidate.

Limitations:-

1) Lengthy process:– It takes long time. The business has to notify vacancies & wait for applicantions to initiate selection process.

2) Costly process:– A lot of money has to be spent on advertisement & processing of applications.

3) Uncertain Response:- The candidates from outside may not be suitable for enterprise. There is no guarantee that enterprise will be able to attract right kinds of people from external sources.

4) Dissatisfaction among Existing staff:- They may feel that their chances of promotion may be reduced.