What type of recruitment was likely used if a manager claims to have found the right candidate without any public job advertisement?

The scenario describes a situation where a manager has identified a suitable candidate without resorting to public job advertisements, indicating a more personal or direct approach to recruitment. This aligns closely with informal recruitment methods, which often involve networking, personal contacts, or referrals rather than public announcements or formal job postings.

In informal recruitment, hiring managers may rely on their professional or personal networks, recommendations from current employees, or active sourcing through informal channels, which can lead to quicker and often more targeted hiring processes. This method is particularly common in specialized fields or for positions that require specific skill sets, where the employer may prefer to tap into known resources rather than sifting through a larger pool of candidates acquired through traditional public job advertisements.

Formal recruitment generally involves structured processes, such as job postings on various platforms, which is not the case here. Promotional recruitment would imply that current employees are being considered for advancement, which does not fit the context of discovering a candidate independently. Overseas recruitment specifically pertains to seeking candidates from outside the country, which is also irrelevant in the context of the manager's claim. Hence, informal recruitment is the most suitable choice based on how the candidate was found.