The act of proper recruitment

It is estimated that it takes 5 months before a new employee is able to provide value in relation to the company’s investment.  Proper recruiting will accelerate that time as well as mitigate risk associated with early turnover followed by the position becoming vacant again.

How do you properly recruit?  To do it properly it requires time to be invested from not only the hiring manager, but there should be input from other key stakeholders in the organization.  And it is not just senior management that should have a say in determining skill set requirements.  There should also be input from people in high exposure to the position which means input from areas like research teams, sales coordination teams, field service, supply chain or other areas.  Asking employees for their input is also beneficial for increasing employee engagement when non executives are asked for their input.

The small to mid-size companies are the biggest offenders for not recruiting properly.  Where do these companies go astray?

1.

Using past recruiting techniques because that is the way it has always been done.  Turnover, engagement and productivity scores are the best indicators as to whether the status quo is working.  Exit interviews are a powerful tool but one that companies do not often utilize.  Face the facts and expose yourself to potential corporate criticism or you might just be kidding yourself.

2.

Don’t use past job descriptions.  Jobs change all the time and descriptions need to be altered when positions inevitably evolve.  Make sure other managers on the executive team also review and add input as well.  Don’t let a rogue manager conduct this assignment themselves just because they are under time constraints.  Even when Human Resources are involved with these types of managers, their approach is sometimes steamrolled by an impatient hiring manager.

3.

Add percentages of time allocated to each position.  Often it is a surprising exercise, as pieces of the  job description can be over or under emphasized which affects hiring the best candidate.  The job is sometimes much more different and requires a different skill set that it might appear or originally thought. 

4.

Don’t get into the position of over selling a job or opportunity because you “fall in love” with a candidate.  When someone finally realizes that there is 50% administration in a job versus the expected 20%, this major dis-connect often results in a vacant position.

5.

Always use behavioral based questions to compliment your "gut".  Surprisingly, they are not used nearly as much as they should with many companies still believing that they will know the right person for the job when they see them.

6.

Thoroughly check references and ask tough questions and not the sugar coated ones that accelerate a quick start date.  If anything,  it will help on-board the person faster if the company knows specifically which areas of the candidate require more attention when they are in the position.

 Farewell,

Mike