Key Idea: At HL, Topic 2.1 is not just about knowing HR terms — it is about choosing the most suitable HR decision for the business and explaining its likely impact on costs, motivation, productivity, retention and flexibility. Strong HL answers compare options, apply them tightly to the case, and explain trade-offs clearly. HL students also need to handle appraisal and labour turnover confidently.
🔄 Internal recruitment: **Internal recruitment —** faster and cheaper. **Internal recruitment —** motivates existing staff. **Internal recruitment —** candidate already understands the business. **Best when —** the business wants continuity and low risk.
🌍 External recruitment: **External recruitment —** wider pool of candidates. **External recruitment —** can bring fresh ideas and new skills. **External recruitment —** useful when skills are missing internally. **Best when —** the business needs change, growth or specialist expertise.
✅ Likely advantages: **Internal recruitment** may improve motivation and reduce cost. **External recruitment** may improve innovation and skills. **On-the-job training** is practical and cheaper. **Off-the-job training** can be higher quality but more expensive.
⚠️ Likely drawbacks: **Internal recruitment** limits the pool of candidates. **External recruitment** is slower, costlier and riskier. **On-the-job training** may disrupt work or spread bad habits. **Off-the-job training** takes staff away from work and may not transfer perfectly.
At HL, do not stop at saying a method is cheaper or faster. Explain whether that matters more than quality, experience, retention or long-term performance for this specific business.
A very common HL move is to compare two HR options directly. For example: internal recruitment may be cheaper and faster, but external recruitment may be better if the business needs new expertise for expansion or change.
For HL calculation or analysis questions on labour turnover, do not just calculate the percentage. Explain what it suggests about the business, then link it to likely causes such as weak motivation, poor management, limited progression or pay dissatisfaction.
Example: A strong answer: External recruitment may be more suitable because the business is expanding and may need specialist skills that current employees do not have. Although it is more expensive and takes longer, better recruitment quality could improve productivity and reduce costly mistakes later.
Important: Common triggers: explain one benefit and one drawback of a recruitment method, compare internal and external recruitment, explain training methods, analyse the usefulness of appraisal, calculate or interpret labour turnover, or recommend how a business should manage staffing.
- Identify which HR area the question is really about
- Use the exact HR term correctly
- Explain the method clearly
- Apply it to the business in the case
- Show at least one positive and one negative effect
- For bigger questions, compare alternatives before concluding