Reviewed by HR & Business Communication Experts Updated for 2026 Professional Communication Standards

Lateral Recruitment Definition , Meaning and Brief Process

Lateral Recruitment from an organization prospective translates into a talent acquisition usually at the incumbents existing level and span of operations. This recruitment is generally done form the same industry or a competition company. It’s a strategic hire which in turn would be able to quickly contribute towards set goal or an outcome company defines for a specific role within the organization with minimal training.

Definition:Lateral move means movement at the same level/horizontal level

Lateral recruitment process brings on the table relevant technical & soft skills. Additionally this incumbent would also be well networked with industry connects. Which is why this is one of the most prevalent hiring practices.

For a successful Lateral Hiring it’s important that following search parameters are clearly identified and defined basis organization goal and industry best practices. These would be broadly divided into two categories

For Example Recruiting a university Professor to become a chairman of board of directors in a company.

At the time of lateral recruitment, the HR manager must examine the job skills of the potential employee. With the assistance of number off HR tools and systems like news postings,community discourses happenings, industry magazines, grant postings, and antiquated verbal exchange about the candidate; the human resource manager can themselves do this type of recruitment process.

What is Meaning of Lateral Recruitment?

We can define lateral recruitment process phase as the process of hiring a skilled and Professional candidate for the job that needs to be filled. it is also termed as a specialized hiring and the experts are generally from another organization which is well-known as the leader in the field whom it would be to your lead to employ your organisation.

Role Driven

Span of operations
Team Management
Monetary Turnover to be Managed
Leadership/ People Management Skills
KRA and Deliverables expected by the company
Cultural Fitment
Company Practices for lateral hiring

Industry Driven

Target Companies
Market Compensation Benchmarking
Competition Mapping
Talent Availability in Market
Cost

Difference between Hiring and Recruiting

Hiring is a holistic approach which involves a detailed evaluation of a prospective candidate on the following parameters

Cultural Fit to the Company / Company Fitment
Technical Skills
Span of Operations/Team Management
Leadership Style
Overall Performance Track Record
Salary Etc

Recruitment is a short term process wherein fundamentally basic skills set and salary fitment of a candidate is taken into consideration. This is a practice at junior level hire’s wherein quick turnaround time is required.

Points to Consider During Lateral Hiring

While there is no certification that a lateral recruitment will have the beneficial outcome, there are various advances that can assist the organizations with maximizing the odds that will profit dependable.

following are some recommendations incorporate laterals into the firm and its culture.

Be point by point in your due constancy: Some reasons why laterals are not engaging or have left the organization and looking for new opportunity, so for you it is necessary to discuss those reasons in detail. Having all the significant information will also give you the chance to address any issues that may make the switch easier.

Place the offer in writing: Always make sure that the offer is in writing and all terms and conditions are detailed in the agreement. The agreement should outline those behaviors that organization measures and rewards. No one likes surprise and many misunderstandings can be avoided if there is a written document.

Keep in mind that identities check: The wrong “fit” can have major consequences and it is essential to focus on the similarity of personalities, not just the practice, when considering a lateral hire.

Compose an introduction program: Be sure that new employees are provided sufficient training in the organization’s systems and procedures.
Give it time to work: You need to understand that integrating a new partner or practice group takes time. Don’t drop the ball after an initial spurt of activity.
Designate a counselor/advisor/mentor:To smooth this Lateral hiring transaction, the lateral is assigned a handler who will go a long way towards increasing the comfort level and productivity of the new candidates.

The Process of Lateral Recruitment / Hiring

In case of lateral hiring much research is required to be done. While advertising is the most frequent way to see a name, be apprehensive of a sudden spell about your candidate. He might be misleading you by way of self promotion, so his skills might not be as golden as might first come into sight. An enhanced research tool would be to find numerous articles over a period of months or years concerning his awards and achievements.

The prospective applicant already has a status and skills that do not need to be advanced within your. It is significant to offer something that his present firm does not offering him, so examine his current firm's offerings and after that with the help of a short initial letter you can begin the process of negotiation with the applicant.

In case you get a positive reply, you can negotiate further. He has turn out to be aware of your interest, so a hint of the new project can often stratagem him into further dialogue. Your candidate can be tempted with the project itself, by this means allowing you to offer the package incentive. With good negotiating skills, you can effectively employ the lateral applicant, insuring that the lateral hire will be an esteemed member of the team.

The Objectives of Lateral Recruitment

We can describe the objectives of lateral recruitment as follows:

To hire experienced and professional candidates.
To find someone who can join the organization at the same wage level and possess the required work experience.
To minimize the cost incurred on completing the recruitment process
Cutting down the time and cost of training session.
To hire someone who is mature enough to take critical decisions when required.
To hire someone who know how to manage the work-pressure and be productive.
To hire someone who can work as a team.

Lateral Hiring and Organization Brand Image:

Software Industry is technology and knowledge driven industry. Proficiency level in latest technology and adaptability are two major factors which drive the recruitment practices in this industry. Expertise is ranked highly and becomes one of the base criteria for an incumbent to bag good pay package.

Other driving factors initiating lateral movements in this industry would be
Span of Projects managed and executed (national & international level)
Incase of international projects candidates with valid Visa’s and meeting other required eligibility criteria.

Law Firms are an experience and network driven industry. Experience in managing diversified and complex and cases for a particular law segment are given high regards. Industry connects and influencing factors and also a major driving forces for a successful venture.

Government & PSU -Government employees are hired through various government exams irrespective of their educational, state, region or religious background.

They are deployed to various public services and projects basis requirement and internally defined allotment criteria. Movements within a government department would be basis:

Experience in working for a particular kind of public services and project management skills
Exposure to working in particular geographic region (In selected cases) Internal department transfer and promotion criteria
Exposure to practices and working with other public services and citizens

Lateral Recruitment Process in an Organization

An organization needs to follow the process as best practice to inorder to ensure a smooth hiring process:

Draft a clear job description
Define the required budget for the open position
Position Mapping

For new position define organizational fitment and alignment
For replacement identify if the new resource required at the same, senior or junior level

Headcount approval for the open position
Budget approval considering incremental cost of the new hire
Identify source of hire Portal, Consultant or Reference
Define cost of hiring
Define competencies for the Incumbent to deliver the job
Span of operations and aligned revenue target
Leadership Capabilities
Fitment in the Organizational hierarchy
Target Companies to hire from

Lateral recruitment Sources and Best Practices:

Identifying and hiring right kind of talent has always been challenging. Innovative ways and practices have been explored and tried to meet the ever increasing demand. A concise list of various hiring sources is as follows:

Traditional Hiring Practices/Sources

Job Consultants/ Search Firms

Emerging Hiring Practices/ Sources

Social Media
Professional Networking sites
Professional Networking events
Company Alumina Groups & networking events: this is one of the latest additions to the talent acquisition practices. Large size companies form alumina groups. This practice has been introduced with to rehire ex employees who may have left the organization to pursue a different role and now wish to rejoin.

This practice insures hiring best talent through trusted sources and validated candidates.

Lateral Hiring and Organization Brand Image:

ne of the major success factors in lateral hiring is the organization brand image. Employer Brand and employee benefits play a major role in attracting good talent. Lateral movement’s and incentivised basis company brand and potential long term benefits an employee would reap by being associated with the organization which could be as follows:

Employee Perks and Perquisites
Additional employee Benefits like Insurance
Tax Benefits.
Organization Culture and Leave Policy

Author & Reviewer

This content is prepared and reviewed by HR and workplace communication professionals and is updated to reflect current professional Standards.

Explore more Topics of Lateral Recruitment

Author & Reviewer

This content is prepared and reviewed by HR and workplace communication professionals and is updated to reflect current professional Standards.

Frequently Asked Question on Lateral Recruitment

Regional Head @ Mumbai
Ascent Human Solutio... Mumbai
Material Executive @ Gurgaon I...
Ascent Human Solutio... Gurgaon
Regional Sales Manager @ Kolka...
Ascent Human Solutio... Kolkata
Assistant Manager - Product De...
Ascent Human Solutio... New Delhi
GM/ DGM/ AGM - HR for an Share...
Ascent Human Solutio... Chandigarh
Senior Service Engineer @ Mumb...
Ascent Human Solutio... Mumbai
Application & Technical Servi...
Ascent Human Solutio... Pasir Gudang
Senior Account Executive @ Gur...
Ascent Human Solutio... Gurgaon
Assistant Manager -Marketing @...
HR Helpboard Delhi
Development Editor - Science @...
HR Helpboard New Delhi
Account Executive @ Gurgaon
Accounting, Account... Gurgaon
Area Sales Manager @ Hyderabad
Ascent Human Solutio... Hyderabad
Area Sales Manager @ Delhi
Ascent Human Solutio... New Delhi
E commerce Manager @ Mumbai/ B...
Ascent Human Solutio... Mumbai
Sr Executive - Admin
Ascent Human Solutio... Mumbai

Explore More Jobs

Lateral Recruitment Definition , Meaning and Brief Process

Latest Articles