| Course | HR400 Talent Acquisition and Management |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 4 |
| Paper type | Recruitment sourcing plan |
| Length | About 900 words, 6 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BS in Business Administration (Human Resources) |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HR400 Unit 4
Forty Applicants or Six: A Unit 4 Recruitment Sourcing Plan for a Second-Shift Supervisor
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
HR400: Talent Acquisition and Management
Unit 4 Recruitment Sourcing Plan
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
Calloway Building Supply, its requisition history and every yield figure are composite and illustrative; the sources cited are real.
The Vacancy and the Target
Calloway Building Supply needs one second-shift supervisor for its central warehouse, defined by the Unit 3 job description. The target is three qualified finalists for the structured interview within thirty days of posting and an accepted offer within forty-five. The plan works backward from that target using what Calloway's own channels have produced.
The Yield Table
Over its last eleven supervisor requisitions, Calloway hired from six channels. Each row follows candidates from application to six months on the job.
Internal posting to lead associates at all four warehouses. 18 applications, 12 passed the screen, 9 interviewed, 3 offers, 3 accepted, 3 still employed at six months.
Employee referral. 12 applications, 9 passed the screen, 6 interviewed, 2 offers, 2 accepted, 2 retained.
Regional job board. 160 applications, 44 passed the screen, 14 interviewed, 5 offers, 4 accepted, 3 retained.
Supply-chain certificate program at the community college. 11 applications, 7 passed the screen, 4 interviewed, 1 offer, 1 accepted, 1 retained.
Veterans' transition office. 6 applications, 5 passed the screen, 3 interviewed, 1 offer, which was declined.
Staffing agency on a temp-to-hire contract. 20 candidates presented, 14 passed Calloway's screen, 6 interviewed, 1 converted to permanent, who left before six months.
Working Backward
The ratios tell the plan how much each channel must bring in. The job board needs about 40 applications for one accepted offer. A referral needs about 6, and so does the internal posting. The certificate program has needed about 11, though from one hire. Insider channels, the internal posting and referrals, also kept every hire they produced. Zottoli and Wanous (2000), reviewing research on recruitment sources, found that hires from insider sources tended to stay longer than those from outside sources, and one explanation they discuss is that people hearing about a job from someone inside it know more of what the work involves before they start. Burks et al. (2015) found in data from nine large firms that referred hires were less likely to quit than non-referred hires.
The job board brings the most applicants and the most screening work, while the insider channels bring fewer people who are more likely to accept and to stay.
Cost and Time by Channel
A second table prices each channel in recruiter hours per qualified applicant and in days from posting to acceptance, averaged across the eleven requisitions.
Internal posting. About 0.5 recruiter hours per qualified applicant. About 18 days to acceptance.
Referral. About 0.75 hours, plus a $500 referral bonus paid at ninety days. About 24 days.
Job board. About 1.5 hours, since most applicants fail the screen, plus a posting fee of about $400. About 38 days.
Certificate program. About 1 hour, plus time spent with the program coordinator. About 45 days, tied to the program's term.
Veterans' office. About 1 hour. About 41 days.
Staffing agency. About 0.25 hours, since the agency screens, but a conversion fee of 20 percent of first-year pay. About 21 days to start as a temporary supervisor.
The Six Channels for This Vacancy
1. Internal posting, first week. Expected to yield about two qualified applicants. Read by the operations manager.
2. Referral request to all supervisors and leads, first week. Expected one or two. Read by the human resources generalist.
3. Job board, from day five. Expected about eleven qualified applicants from forty or so applications. Read by the human resources generalist, with the application screen built from the Unit 5 matrix.
4. Certificate program, first week. A direct note to the coordinator, since current students finish in six weeks. Expected one. Read by the operations manager.
5. Veterans' office, first week. Expected one. Read by the human resources generalist.
6. Staffing agency, held in reserve. Used only if fewer than three finalists exist on day twenty-one, because its retention record and fee are the weakest.
Fairness Check
Insider channels can narrow the pool to people like the current workforce. Breaugh (2008) notes that recruitment methods affect who applies, not only how many. Calloway's lead associates on second shift are mostly men, so relying on referrals alone could reproduce that pattern. The job board, the certificate program and the veterans' office widen the pool, and the plan keeps all three open for the full posting period even if insider channels produce finalists first.
If the Plan Falls Short
Two shortfalls are most likely. If the job board produces fewer than six qualified applicants by day fourteen, the posting will be rewritten to lead with the shift and the pay rather than the duties, and the screen questions checked for any that remove applicants without reason. If finalists include no internal candidate, the operations manager will ask the lead associates who did not apply why, since their answers may show that the internal posting reached them late or that they assumed the job was already filled.
Measures
At day thirty, the plan reports applications, qualified applicants and finalists by channel against the expected figures. At six months, it adds whether the hire is still employed and the source, so the yield table grows with each requisition.
References
Breaugh, J. A. (2008). Employee recruitment: Current knowledge and important areas for future research. Human Resource Management Review, 18(3), 103-118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2008.07.003
Burks, S. V., Cowgill, B., Hoffman, M., & Housman, M. (2015). The value of hiring through employee referrals. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 130(2), 805-839. https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjv010
Zottoli, M. A., & Wanous, J. P. (2000). Recruitment source research: Current status and future directions. Human Resource Management Review, 10(4), 353-382. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1053-4822(00)00032-2
What the HR400 Unit 4 assignment asks for
In the fourth HR400 assignment, you decide where candidates for one vacancy will come from. State the vacancy and a target, such as finalists and an accepted offer by set dates. Build a yield table from your organization's history, following candidates from application through screening, interview, offer, acceptance and early retention by channel. Work backward from the ratios to what each channel must produce. Compare channels on recruiter time and days to acceptance. Choose the channels for this vacancy, with expected yields, timing and the person who reviews each. Consider how channels affect who applies, and include a fairness check. Plan for shortfalls. State the measures you will report and when. Cite recruitment source research. About four pages built around one yield table and a cost table is a common format.
Inside the HR400 Unit 4 example
The sample sets a target of three finalists in thirty days and an acceptance in forty-five. The yield table follows six channels from application to six months, with a margin note on retention. Working backward shows the job board's ratio of about 40 to 1 against about 6 for referrals and internal posting, and Zottoli and Wanous and Burks and colleagues explain why insider hires stay. The highlighted sentence contrasts the channels. A cost table prices each channel, then six channels are chosen with yields and readers, with a margin note on responsibility. A fairness check cites Breaugh on how methods shape who applies, followed by plans for shortfalls and measures.
Where the points sit in the HR400 Unit 4 rubric
Points in the HR400 sourcing plan go to evidence and practical planning. Instructors expect a clear target with dates. A yield table that follows candidates to early retention earns credit because acceptance alone hides channels that produce early leavers. Working backward from ratios shows quantitative reasoning. Comparing channels on recruiter time and days, not only on cost, is valued. Each chosen channel should have an expected yield, timing and a responsible reader. A fairness check that recognizes how insider channels can narrow the pool shows judgment. Contingency plans and measures show follow-through. Recruitment research should be cited in APA 7, and every figure should match the yield table it comes from.
HR400 Unit 4 help from the desk
Many HR400 sourcing plans list channels without any evidence of what each has produced. Others count applicants and ignore whether hires stayed. Students often favor the cheapest channel without counting screening time. No one is named to review each channel's applicants. Referrals are recommended without considering who they exclude. Plans assume every channel will deliver on time. Set a dated target, build a yield table to retention, work backward from ratios, compare time and days, assign readers, check fairness, plan for shortfalls and report results. Send your requisition history, and our team can help build the yield table.
Get an HR400 Unit 4 example written to your instructions
Sourcing depends on the role and the region. That makes the case worth sending in full, together with the rubric and any requisition figures it includes. In 24-48h a plan for that vacancy comes back, yields bracketed as composite and every channel given a named reader. First samples are free. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
More HR400 papers and BS in Business Administration (Human Resources) samples
- HR400 Unit 1: Discussion Board Post
- HR400 Unit 2: Job Analysis
- HR400 Unit 3: Job Description Draft
- HR400 Unit 5: Selection Criteria Matrix
- HR400 Unit 6: Structured Interview Guide
- HR400 Unit 7: Candidate Evaluation Memo
- HR400 Unit 8: Seminar Reflection
- HR400 Unit 9: Onboarding Plan
- HR400 Unit 10: Talent Acquisition Strategy
HR400 Unit 4 questions, answered
Why is recruiter time treated as a cost?
Because on a sixty-day deadline it is the constraint. A job board can deliver many applicants cheaply, but screening them takes hours the recruiter also owes other requisitions. The example sets hours per qualified applicant beside days to acceptance so a reader can see why internal posting and referral open first, even though they reach fewer people.
Does a sourcing plan need a diversity section?
The example treats diversity as part of the channel mix, not as a standalone statement. It observes that referrals mirror the current workforce, adds two channels reaching different networks, and then tracks applicants by source and by stage. Sections wanting a separate discussion can have one, but the choice of channels is where the plan actually does something about it.
Where can I find a free HR400 Unit 4 sample paper?
A complete HR400 Unit 4 recruitment sourcing plan is on this page, choosing six channels for a warehouse supervisor vacancy from eleven past requisitions.
Why follow candidates to six-month retention?
A channel can produce acceptances but early leavers. Counting who is still employed months later shows which sources bring people who stay.
Why does recruiter time count as a cost?
Screening many unqualified applicants takes hours that a deadline cannot spare, so a channel that looks cheap per posting can be the most expensive in recruiter time.