The recruitment process in any organisation should provide an efficient service to the stakeholders, be cost effective and avoid the loss of good candidates through poor service. It should also encourage successful candidates to recommend you to their peers.
In many industry groups the talent market place is currently extremely buoyant with mergers, acquisitions and growth prompting movement amongst the experienced work force. In addition, some companies are experiencing growth rates of 15-20%, prompting staff shortages and a candidate driven marketplace. Those companies who are attracting and retaining staff are those that are progressive, responsive and dynamic, not only in the work that they do, but in the way the recruit and treat their staff.
‘Many people believe that the shorter the interview process the more chance of hiring the wanted employee.’ In this unstable market this is a fallacy. For the past 18 months we have been asking our network what they are looking at when selecting their next employer apart from the obvious ‘work and money’ aspect. The following points, listed in order of importance, are most prevalent:
– To feel valued throughout the recruitment process whether it leads to a successful appointment or not.
– Accurate information provided at all stages of the interview process on the company, the practice and the personalities.
– Fast and accurate feedback from all stages of the interview process
– The opportunity to meet peers in their area
– To know what it is they are applying for – (accuracy of job roles and descriptions)
– Flexibility to fit individual circumstances
Only a very small percentage of the candidates were concerned about the time the recruitment process took. Whilst the above points may be perceived as ‘nannying’, the reality of the global market place in talent is that it is a sellers’ market. Good candidates have the luxury of picking their employer, as opposed to an employer picking them. This emphasises the point that the recruitment process must be extremely professional.
Recruitment is the start of your new employee’s journey with you. It sets the tone of their view of you, and whether they would recommend you as an employer to their peers (potentially the cheapest form of recruitment) In a Public Sector organisation I work with we do an annual – Friends and Family – test to see if our people would recommend our services to their own families. Employers could do the same thing with their employees asking about their peers. And be warned a low F&F test probably means that you are going to start losing staff – which is why it’s easier to improve your internal branding with existing staff. Retention starts with recruitment.