External sources refer to recruiting employees from outside the organization. In fact, a pool of qualified candidates lie outside the organization. Firms cannot always get all required members from their current staff. In such a situation, an arrangement is made to attract qualified candidates from other sources. An organization recruits employees from outside in order to fill the vacant position whose specification cannot be met by the present employees. The following external sources of recruitment are used by most of the organizations.
1. Walk-ins
It is one of the most common and least expensive approaches of recruitment from outside the organization. Under it, the potential candidates visit office of the company and apply for jobs. Usually unskilled and semiskilled workers/supervisors are the candidates for walk-ins. It is relatively informal and less expensive method of external recruitment. It is concerned with direct recruitment and also known as factory gate recruitment.
2. Employment Agencies
This source of manpower supply is concerned with indirect recruitment. Employment agencies run by private or public or government sectors provide a pool of qualified candidates to those organizations which are seeking for employees. Employment agencies that provide manpower service to different private, public or governmental organizations.