Lateral Recruitment: How Does Bringing in External Talent Benefit Your Company?

What is lateral recruitment?

Lateral recruitment refers to the process of hiring individuals from outside the organization to fill specific positions at a similar or higher level than their current role. This type of recruitment is common when a company is looking to bring in new skills, perspectives, or expertise that may not be readily available within the existing workforce. Lateral recruitment can help organizations diversify their talent pool and inject fresh ideas into the company.

Dear Pranita,

When we do lateral recruitment, it means we are recruiting a person who has almost the same kind of designation/role/responsibilities (at the present company) as what you are offering him without any additional or only notional increase in his salary.

Mostly, lateral recruitment would mean a movement at the same level of hierarchy with similar role/responsibilities and with no hike but to a different department/section of the same company.

By definition, "lateral" means:

- of or pertaining to the side; situated at, proceeding from, or directed to a side: a lateral view.

- pertaining to or entailing a position, office, etc., that is different but equivalent or roughly equivalent in status, as distinguished from a promotion or demotion: a lateral move.

- Of or constituting a change within an organization or a hierarchy to a position at a similar level, as in salary or responsibility, to the one being left: made a lateral move within the company.

Situated at or extending to the side; "the lateral branches of a tree".

I hope this provides clarity.

Warm Regards,

Samba Siva.