THE FUTURE OF RECRUITMENT MANAGEMENT - THE FUNDAMENTALS by Danny D. Kellman MBA This guide shows how recruitment best practices are breaking new ground helping anyone involved with hiring avoid bad hires and predict job performance. A publication by hucace.com
A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO BUILDING A KILLER RECRUITMENT STRATEGY About the Author Danny Kellman manages the PreEmployment HR Metrics and Project Management team at HUCACE (pronounced "UKC") The Human Capital Centre of Expertise. Danny is a strategic human resource professional and consultant blending and leveraging science, technology and emotional intelligence into efficient and effective recruitment strategies for global based brands. Danny likes to say that she grew up understanding that the right recruitment and selection tools make a difference between hiring a quality incumbent and getting caught with the spiraling costs associated with bad hires. She understands that 80% of staff turnover is the result of bad hire (source Harvard Business Review). Danny aims to work closely with organizations to significantly reduce that figure. "Well... at least at the recruitment stage", she stressed. DANNY D. KELLMAN, MBA Director, Human Capital Metrics Follow me on Twitter @DannyDKellman or LinkedIn ca.linkedin.com/in/ddkellman In her spare time, Danny plays volleyball, enjoys stand-up comedy and volunteers as a mentor at the Toronto District School Board helping at-risk high school girl students. Get in touch as Danny speaks your language - in French, Spanish or English.
CONTENTS Chapter 1 - Recruitment Management: What Does it Entail?...4 Chapter 2 - Why do We Need Innovation in Recruitment Management?...6 Chapter 3 - Closing the Talent Gap and Gaining a Competitive Edge...8 Chapter 4 - Increasing the Quality of New Hires...10 Chapter 5 - Becoming a More Attractive Employer by Creating an Objective and Fair Recruiting Process... 12 Chapter 6 - Skills vs Personality: Recruiting for Success...14 Stay Tuned for... * Part 2: "The Future of Recruitment Management: Trends and Relationship Building" * Part 3: "The Future of Recruitment Management: Innovative Ideas and New Tools."
CHAPTER 1 Recruitment Management: What Does it Entail?
This is the first part of a three part series... Every organization needs the right talent to succeed, and management recruitments is one of the most crucial aspects of a business. The right recruitment management system ensures that an organization has a suitable recruitment policy in place. The policy is a standard framework, which helps everyone in the organization in using the same set of yardsticks and principles in the hiring process. The recruitment policy has several stages including: Assessing vacancies/organization s needs Deciding to hire Chalking out various job descriptions Advertising for the openings Managing the response to the announcement Shortlisting of candidates Process of interviews, assessments, and tests Selection procedure Conducting background checks Cross-checking the references provided Making the offer Managing the new hire s induction/on-boarding All these processes require a lot of decision making, because they come with varied choices. The interview process, for instance, could be a behavioral one or a traditional one. The testing could be by way of psychometric tests, and the advertising of the opening could be an employee referral system, through social media or traditional newspaper advertisements. A choice has to be made, depending on the company s nature and needs and also the job description. Use of technology Modern-day recruitment management is often done with the help of software tools that make the hiring process faster. The manual methods have been replaced by automated systems; for instance, certain software enable job listings to be posted on the company s website and on other online recruitment platforms. These methods, in combination with the traditional manual methods, could offer best results for a company.
CHAPTER 2 Why do We Need Innovation in Recruitment Management?
Innovation is the name of the game in any business, and every process needs to be constantly fine-tuned for best results. With new technology and software tools that help in speeding up the recruitment process, companies are constantly competing to lap up the best talent. This means the competition has got tougher, and to stay right on top, your company will need to innovate. It could be in the form of using customized software, or new processes for recruitment involving your current employees. Benefits of innovations in recruitment management Constant innovations make for improvements in recruitment processes and results. The best PR or sales practices should be considered and adapted, if possible, into the recruitment framework. A company that thinks different and acts faster is the company that wins. For example, companies that used social media much before others, gained an advantage in terms of recruitment and brand image. You should start identifying and targeting suitable candidates for your firm even before a vacancy or need arises. The shift from reactive to proactive recruitment is very important. Innovation not only speeds up recruitment, but also helps build your company image. Better engagement with employees by using innovative methods will bring better results and greater employee retention. New ways to beat competition How companies conduct recruitments could make a huge difference, so has your company thought of hiring at seminars, industry events or trade shows? Also, innovation in writing job descriptions, offers of flexibility in work hours, perks, and re-hiring the best people who quit earlier for better rewards could be some of the innovations. Innovations may not be always be revolutionary, but should help in improving the recruitment process in some way.
CHAPTER 3 Closing the Talent Gap and Gaining a Competitive Edge
Closing the Talent Gap and finding talent that is perfect for your organization can be a challenge at times. What s more, retaining the talent, keeping employees satisfied and the company on the track to progress is a greater challenge. So, what is this talent gap? Is it for real? Indeed, it is, if quotes from CEOs in reports are to be believed. A majority of them are quoted saying that they find it difficult to get the talent they need, because modern-day businesses demand greater skill sets than job seekers currently have. Experts blame the traditional education system for this deficit. So, how can companies close this gap and retain a competitive edge? Here is what you need to do to close the talent gap: Assess the talent your firm needs, and research what will make a candidate successful in a particular role. Also, as a recruitment manager, you will need to know where the talent you looking for will be available, and also its expectations from you. You would need to evolve effective recruitment policies for different roles if you are looking for a fresher, you may have to focus on university message boards, newsletters and so on. A recruitment fest organized in universities could be a solution. Often, there are enough qualified candidates, but have you, as a recruiter, got the job description written down in a manner that an applicant reads it and understands immediately whether he or she fits in? The other way to close the talent gap is to hire candidates that you think come closest to your company s needs and then provide them with on-the-job training. Another way is to tie up with universities and colleges so that the freshers learn the skills required for contemporary businesses. Regularly assessing interns from universities and maintaining a bank of their talents/skill sets will go a long way, because these interns are acquainted with the nitty-gritties of a real job.
CHAPTER 4 Increasing the Quality of New Hires
When you are going through the recruitment process and are looking to conclude your hiring, you need to ask yourself one question, Is the candidate good enough? and answer it honestly. If you have any doubt, you probably need to rethink about the process. Track manually Often, recruitment systems that depend on the method of automated tracking of applicants and filter out the irrelevant ones may not be the best solution for your firm. If you have a small business and can afford to skip automated processes, you should actually go through every application and make sure the ones that the application tracking software has ignored are given a relook. The algorithms that the software uses may ignore certain good applications. Train managers Hiring personnel should be trusted for what they are meant to do, and asked to hire candidates who they think are perfect for the job. Hiring managers should follow the recruitment system that is already in place. They need to be trained to spot talent with the help of these systems. A good personal and professional impression of the candidate should be gleaned before meeting him/her for an interview. Hiring managers should focus on what a certain hire can learn quickly in the new job and what he/she cannot. It is important to realize whether a candidate has it in her to learn and is enthusiastic. This helps improve the quality of the hire. Managers should not just focus on the past experience of a certain applicant and learn to understand how he or she can fill the current role. Assessing whether a candidate is a team player is crucial for a certain position, and often hiring managers don t go into this aspect at all. A manager could observe how an interviewee behaves or treats others during the interview process and notice the red flags, if any.
CHAPTER 5 Becoming a More Attractive Employer by Creating an Objective and Fair Recruiting Process
Hiring a candidate for a specific role is challenging enough, but doing it in a fair manner and making it an attractive proposition for candidates is tougher. As an employer, you can ensure that candidates feel your processes are objective with the help of these tips: Ensure that the yardsticks used to assess candidates are based on the nature of the job itself. Don't judge them on parameters that have nothing to do with the specific job description. A fair standardized psychometric assessment, based on job-related competencies and emotional intelligence, used for all candidates who have applied, will ensure fairness and make you an objective employer. Feedback is important Providing feedback to applicants is a very important aspect of the recruitment process. Notifying successful candidates is easy; so is ignoring unsuccessful candidates because no one wants to deliver bad news. However, a candidate will appreciate an employer taking out time to inform him/her that he/she was not chosen. If possible, he/she should be told the reason for rejection, without getting into lengthy debates. A few positive aspects should be highlighted in the feedback process. Clear communication is important, especially if the next stage of the interview/test is delayed or re-scheduled. Ensuring that the applicants are treated with respect and their time is valued is very important. Respect Dignity Steer clear of personal details Also be careful that you don t make any assumptions about a candidate s age, physical disability, nationality, religion beliefs, gender, sexual preference, etc. Don t give an impression to the candidate that these personal aspects came in the way of their selection or rejection. Comments or questions about these aspects should be avoided. Conduct medical checks before employment only if you have the intention of hiring them, and ensure that all background verification, and reference checks are performed in an appropriate manner. Maintain all documentation of recruitment in case there is a discrimination claim against you, and you need to show proof to the contrary.
CHAPTER 6 Skills vs Personality: Recruiting for Success
An eternal debate when it comes to recruitment is whether skills score over personality or vice versa. A hiring manager can find himself/herself in a difficult spot when it comes to hiring a candidate who is highly skilled and low on other attributes like leadership. Most companies however, give great importance to personality on the premise that a person can be trained for skills if he or she has the right personality. Personality traits can t be taught There are employers who look for a candidate with personality traits that suit the culture of the company. If a person is not very friendly, is not willing to help others, how will he or she make a mark in an industry such as hospitality or sales? The nature of the industry makes a huge difference when it comes to hiring a person for skills or for personality. Also, while hiring, employers should take care not to give an introverted person s job role to an extrovert or vice versa. Testing the personality of a candidate is very important before hiring him/her for a certain job description. It becomes very important for both employer and employee to get the job description right, based on the personality required for a role. If a company is hiring someone to raise funds, mention in the job description that the person should be outgoing and persuasive. This makes the recruitment process easier for both applicants and employers. Skills and personality go hand in hand However, skills are equally important, if not the most important reason an applicant is looking at a certain role. If an applicant does not have writing skills, but has the right personality, would she make the right fit at a newspaper? New skills can be acquired and writing could be improved, but a person has to be a writer essentially. A successful recruitment process ensures that skills and personality are in harmony, one without the other will still require work on the part of the company.