LeadershipManagementTeam

2. Finding the right people…continued

 

So your job adverts and social networking efforts are going ok and your candidate list is building and that’s great. But what if that approach doesn’t work and you need to enlist the expertise of a Recruitment Agency.

Recruitment agencies vary enormously with some being professional outfits that add considerable value while others are more interested in pushing candidates on employers in order to make their commissions The pushy aspect of recruitment agencies rings true. I recommend that employers should ask recruiters for references to ascertain their prior success, and I encourages you to hold off paying the full fee until a new employee has been in the job for six months. That way, you ensure you get a candidate who can do the job.

So what does the industry think? When asked why recruiters are useful, a spokesperson from the Recruitment and Consulting Services Association listed benefits such as saving time, leveraging employment expertise, and the rigorous screening process that many candidates must pass.

But perhaps the most enticing benefit was this:

With 5 per cent unemployment, most people who business owners wish to attract are already employed. What I’m referring is the ‘hidden candidates’ – those that aren’t actively looking for a job but are happy to talk to a recruiter.

For an employer, finding these types of people is often tough and rarely cheap. But as the old saying goes, ‘if you think hiring professionals is expensive, try hiring amateurs.’

The Cost:

If they’re lucky, you might get a deal in which you pay a recruiter 15 per cent of the annual salary, which ends up being a commission of over $10,000 when based on the average wage of an Australian employee. Now that’s not chicken feed however you will have certain guarantee’s like if the candidate leaves of their own accord with 90 days you don’t pay the part of the fee.

Benefits of a Recruitment Agency:

I will keep this brief and to the point.

  • In business, time is money and a recruiting agency is a time saver.
  • A recruiting agency will also have access to the best talent available.
  • The screening process when hiring has several layers. A recruiting agency will see to it that these steps are taken care of before you meet anyone for your own interviews.
  • Provide current and accurate information and guidance on industry pay rates.
  • Improve the identification of unsuitable candidates that may be at risk of injury and workplace compensation claims.

 

3. How to review a candidates CV.

Whether you sift through the stack of CVs yourself or delegate the first round, you need a set of guidelines to streamline the process. If you . wrote a good job description – one that pinpoints the combination of skills, attributes and credentials a particular position requires – you can use it as a baseline for evaluating the CVs you receive.

Put the CV in the “needs further review” or “no” pile if it contains any of the following:

  • Unexplained gaps in employment
  • Excessive job hopping
  • Typos, misspellings and grammatical errors
  • Overly ambiguous phrasing (e.g., “familiar with,” “involved in”)
  • Lack of professional advancement or growth

However don’t jump to conclusions, engaging in a brief phone conversation with an otherwise promising job candidate can help to allay possible concerns.

Here are 5 things you really need to check on a candidate’s CV:

1. Look for advancement.

An applicant’s work history should show a steady progression into areas of greater responsibility. But don’t go by job titles alone. Look at what the individual did in each role and how important it was to the employer.

2. Take note of any typos or misspellings.

Two qualities you want in any potential new hire are accuracy and attention to detail.

3. Consider the wording.

Vague or ambiguous language can disguise a lack of skills or expertise. For instance, someone may be “familiar with” Microsoft Excel after attending a seminar but may have no on the-job . experience with the software program.

4. Skills, education and experience alignment

Is the CV really matching up with your selection criteria and be as honest and brutal as you can.

5. Follow up with phone calls.

Even after carefully reviewing CVs you still may be uncertain which applicants to invite for in-person interviews. An effective solution is to conduct short screening calls. You’ll help narrow the field and save time by scheduling fewer face-to-face interviews.

 

Part 3: Managing the interview and reference checking…..