How Do You Recruit and Select StaffGEOFF HARDY

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The importance of recruiting and selecting the right staff

Development can help great people become even better….but if I had a dollar to spend, I would spend….70 cents….getting the right person in the door

We are concerned with hiring….but do we treat it….strategically….as the most important aspect of business. Are we professional students of hiring?

There is only one thing that really mattered in the long run to the health of the enterprise….namely….the quality and character of the workforce

Tom Peters

The Little Big Things

The importance of recruiting and selecting the right staff

There is a large amount of money spent every year by organisations on recruiting staff

Organisations can, however, waste money in a number of areas if the successful candidate is unsuitable or leaves after a few weeks or months

◦ Recruitment costs; for example the cost of adverts◦ Induction training – the time and effort invested in training can be large. In the contact centre

industry, for example, there is often high turnover of staff with new starters staying only a few weeks before deciding the role is not for them

◦ The costs of having to subsequently re-advertise the role and go through the whole process again

What is generally overlooked is the impact on the morale of long serving staff if they see a high number of colleagues comes and go.

The recruiting managerThe recruiting manager should decide whether the role will be permanent or temporary

In the UK, a number of new starters are recruited on temporary contracts

This brings with it the advantage that, if the successful applicant does not fit into the role, the company can let them go

However, the disadvantage is that new starters could look for a permanent role elsewhere and may leave early in their employment.

The recruiting managerThe recruiting manager should draw up a job description and person specification for the vacant role if the documents are not already available

These are generally standard company-wide documents that specify the duties that the appointee will carry out and the skills and competencies that applicants should haveFor example, in a sales role, it will be beneficial for applicants to have developed some negotiation and customer presentation skillsThe Human Resource Manager will be able to check these documents or help draw them up

If a job grading system is in place, the role should go through the relevant process

The job grading process will identify the salary band that the role falls into and the benefits package that comes with it.

The recruiting managerThe organisation may have standard processes for managers to follow to attract candidates

If the company does not have a standard policy, a cost analysis should be undertaken to decide if it will be more effective to advertise the role and through which channels, or to use an agency or specialist recruitment firm

Using employment agencies or recruitment companies can have the benefit that they will undertake part of the selection process; such as, application and CV screening, initial candidate interviews and testing

The downside is that the agency needs to be very clear on the kind of person that the company is looking for and the kind of workplace environment that they will be joining. Often too little time is invested to make sure the agency or recruitment company is clear on these points

There are a number of ways around this including, for companies who recruit regularly, having a dedicated relationship manager at the agency.

SelectionOnce applications have been received for the role, the selection process should be clear and a timetable drawn up

There are a number of methods a company can use at the selection stage

These include identifying whether the candidate has the required skills and experience from their application or CV, face-to-face interviews, assessment centres and completion of case studies or presentations

Many companies like to conduct initial telephone interviews to draw up a short list of candidates.

Selection Whatever selection process is used, managers involved should be fully accredited and act in a consistent manner

◦ For example, if the selection process consists of criteria-based interviews (where candidates give examples of how they meet the various requirements of the role), all managers concerned should be trained to ask questions in a consistent manner and on how to rate the answers that candidates give

◦ Senior managers or a Human Resource Manager may wish to audit the process to ensure there is consistency of application

When the successful applicant has been identified, appropriate references should be sought

In addition, feedback should be given to those candidates who attended interviews or other selection events and were unsuccessful.

In Summary

Is a job description in place – are we clear on the skills, competencies and experience that the successful candidate will need?

Is the role temporary or permanent?

Is there a job grading process and has the role been assessed?

What is the best way to attract candidates – directly by the company or by using an external recruitment agency

Is the selection process clear?

Are managers involved in the selection process clearly briefed (or accredited)?

Is the selection process carried out in a consistent manner by each manager involved?

Have references been taken on the successful candidate?

Has feedback been given to unsuccessful candidates?

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