Best Practices – the word is a buzzword nowadays in the corporate circle. It basically refers to the leading industry thought of a particular topic.
Recruitment Industry is all about matching the need with the best candidate. It might appear that we are doing the same job again and again and are perfect at it but it is good once in a while to review our approach in a strive to grow.
Keeping up with the best practices is good in all spheres and in a fast changing industry such as recruitment; this becomes all the more important.
It is an evolving industry and needs the recruiters to be on edge always. Below are few best practices in recruitment and selection process:-
Recruitment and Selection Best Practices Guide:
1. Decide beforehand – What are you searching for:
Recruiter should be clear about the qualities, qualifications of the desired candidate. Being sure at the onset saves time and energy and pays off in the long term.
The job requirement, once succinct and suitable to all, ensures that the needs of all are met by the desired person.
2. Be cautious While Drafting selection criteria:
Selection criteria are the base of recruitment process. The job specification should be updated and consistent with the selection criteria.
The desirable and essential criteria should be clearly defined so that applicants can easily distinguish and gauge their eligibility for the vacancy. It should be specific and precise.
3. Advertising:
Selection criteria should be advertised in all sources for maximum reach.
If recruitment consultants are being hired, they should be fully aware of the requirements and have a deep knowledge of the company’s profile.
Strategies should be determined for covering all markets and sources to ensure wider pool of application from the best of candidates.
4. Use Software:
Businesses have used software’s to keep track of their billing, sales, payroll and complex things like customer relationships or for tracking employee performance.
However, nowadays software can also be used to keep a database of potential employees and suitable candidates so that they can be called for, in the case of need.
It saves cost and once the desired criteria matches with the available lists, the possible candidates are easily identified. It reduces a lot of trouble for recruiters, especially in high employee turnover industries.
5. Search Web:
Web is used for a whole bunch of things like managing networks, however they are also being used for managing candidates. Yes, it might sound a new concept but it has been in place since long.
The range of cutting edge tools can be used to search for employees and identify new talent pools. By using dynamic tools, web can be personalized experience for the recruiter as well the candidate.
6. Use Marketing Strategies:
There are a few common aspects of sales and the recruitment process. In sales, we market the products but in recruitment, we need to market the candidate as well as the clients.
Clients and candidates should be treated as a brand and promoted in that sense. Each candidate has unique set of skills and are a brand in their own way and for the client, we need to promote their employment brand.
A bit of research in marketing strategies and resources is a good idea.
7. Choose suitable assessment method:
The main assessment methods usually followed are review of information in the application form, interview and practical written test.
CV provides information about the candidate’s qualification and experience. It helps to measure prospective important skills like supervisory skills.
However, the best method for assessing those skills is to have a verbal test to assess the exact situation.
8. Interview:
Interview is the time when candidates are given a chance to showcase what they have for the organization and how well they can perform under pressure.
Interviews need not be monotonous with the same set of questions such as why the candidate wishes to join the industry etc but should judge their competence. Interview should allow applicants to demonstrate their skills.
It is also the time when candidate is given detailed information about the expectations of the job and how much does he fulfill those.
Interviewee should be allowed to keep his point without any preconceived notion by the interviewing panel.
9. Senior management feedback:
Interviewee should have a meeting with the senior management to understand the job environment better and whether he thinks he would like to join the job.
Also, feedback from each senior about their impression of the candidate should be taken into account.
10. Referee reports:
Nowadays fraud cases regarding the previous job experience, profile, designation, package as well as the industry are on the rise and for this purpose, referral and background check should be carried out thoroughly.
The list of reference contacts provided by the candidate should be cross checked and examined to ensure there is no deceit in it.
11. Hire known people:
Companies wish to hire people who are known. Referrals, networking and internal job postings are the top three methods of sourcing talent.
Social networking channels such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest, WordPress etc increase visibility and interaction with people in the same industry and same field.
Candidates should look for higher Interactions, credential proving, building greater rapport and trust to bag best offers.
The recruiters should look for such platforms to hire people who match their sensibilities.
12. Referrals Give the Best Results:
Referral basically means an opportunity for a potential candidate to connect with the future possible employer through a mutual link.
It might be employee, mutual friend or associate. Referrals are treated as the most effective way of hiring with both candidates and employers.
Employees are offered referral rewards for referring employees. It is a safe way to recruit and should be used to the maximum.
13. Search within the existing talent pool:
Companies look within their existing employee base also for the talent they need. By doing this they leverage proven ex
perience, competence and cultural fit. It is a quick, cost effective and successful way of hiring. Matching open positions with the internal staff needs a proper and innovative social communicative method.
It is a big hit with the employees also as redeploying them helps them grow and advance in their careers.
14. Making the decision:
The final decision should be based on the feedback of seniors, own judgment of the candidate, the level of matching of desired specifications with those of candidate’s. All applicants should be ranked in an unbiased manner.
Discussions and the reasons for decisions made should be recorded. If candidates request, constructive feedback to unsuccessful applicants should also be provided.
15. Have a relook at selection process:
If the suitable candidate is not found at the first attempt or found with much difficulty, then it also hints at a possible review of the selection process.
If it was due to reasons such as lack of candidates not possessing the required personality then its fine but if its for reasons other than it, then change in role specification is called for.
A less qualified candidate who can cope up with additional training and hard work or offering salary higher than that currently being offered to lure persons with greater skills, can be looked at.
16. Review Your Approach – Make Changes if Required:
If after following the above steps, you get lucky, it is really good but if otherwise, it needs a review of the approach along with colleagues to analyse the reasons for it.
It can throw a lot of reasons like personality fit, lack of required skills, different salary expectations etc. Analysing and solving it will be of great help in finding the right person.
17. Look Forward:
Responding to the job market is not a sufficient thing in the present scenario. Recruitment as a whole involves gauging the needs of the clients not for the current period but for the next few years as well.
Recruiters can use systematic tools like metric and models to predict the trend of the job market.
Predicting tools can be the most powerful tool which can allow the users to predict the next big thing in the market.
18. Keep up with your clients and candidates:
Recruiters should keep up with not only their own industry but also with the trends of other industries. Conversing with the people needs in depth knowledge of the markets.
19. Staying in touch till joining:
The Recruiter or the HR department should help the candidate throughout the period of finalization of appointment till the period of joining so that the candidate feels comfortable and at ease.
It transforms in better working conditions after joining and increased productivity of the employee.
To Wrap Up:
Companies and recruiters have reach to wider pool of talent and detailed data. Active job seekers who are visible, known and active both in traditional as well as new age methods of networking will have access to more opportunities. Using a well thought out, structured process helps save time as well as resources. The quality of the process of recruitment and the probability of producing a shortlist of probable candidates can be increasingly improved by following the above mentioned pointers.
