Assumptions about candidate decisions... Costly bungling.....

Many times, we in the recruitment business presume that the candidates who we consider for a position speaks his heart when we elicit details telephonically. Not the least do we realize that we don’t even see his face in the whole process and so, there is no way to gauge what runs in his or her mind, as we we safely assume that he will fit the bill – he may be in Hyderabad, and we would want him to relocate to Ambala – he will yes for a "great career prospect, the right role and right money!"; he will live with his family happily in Delhi, and we would want him to come to Trivandrum – he will say yes, as he is a "brazen careerist", at-least that is what he will make us believe on the phone.

In our urge to prove to the client that we have headhunted or found the best guy for the job, we go ahead and tell the client, that the candidate is pretty eager to relocate. With the kind of internal pressures for the position fill, the recruiter at the client's place also throws caution to the winds along with us, and immediately go ahead with the process.

The candidate will take the telephonic and later take the subsequent rounds, if any on telephone or video conferencing, until the final HR round, post which an offer will be rolled out, after he shares his compensation details.

After all this, the client who made the offer, through the HR spoc will inform us that the offer is rolled out, and the candidate has indeed agreed to join in a weeks time.

That’s celebration time for us, and we do celebrate all gaga about another good job done. But that is short lived.

We now call the candidate… and the typical thing to happen is.. there will be no response. Until the offer goes to his mailbox, he is available 24x7, on call, or mail or chat; on the receipt of the offer the tables turn – the candidate is always with his boss, unable to send even a text or take a call…. That is a sign for trouble for us, and moreso for the corporate, in this case our client.

The client calls us and asks us the joining date, pushing the ball decisively in our court – “you guys need to buck up, we set up the interviews, and closed the offer, and you cant even follow up for the joining date? He has not sent the acceptance mail?” and we suddenly wake us from our celebration and slumber.

After many calls and a few days, in all probability the candidate shoots of a text to the recruiters hand phone “Current company matched the offer” or “Spouse unwell, so cant relocate”…. The reasons can at time be so weird like “Showed the offer to my astrologer, he suggested no change now" or "he suggested that I should not join the company with name starting in alphabet X".....

Having seen enough of this, we just get into a different mode to the client. We call him and say – Chief, I have sent you a couple of profiles for the position which you offered to the Delhi guy?”. That is the easiest way out for us to communicate the fact that the candidate ditched, in a professional way. If the recruiter enjoys a personal equation with the client contact, then we would jocularly reveal the facts.

The moral of many instances like this is : Understand the candidate has his own priorities and make sure you be ready for the worst, and the candidate is not to blame. Be ready with more than one good candidate for the same position – easier said than done, and finally, never keep the client blind to what happens on the candidate front – any nasty surprises to the client has a cascading effect, putting him in bad light internally. That screws up relationships forever.

Rather, just state the facts, admit you lack of situational understanding, and be willing to help further if sought for…..

And to the question of how much candidates ought to be trusted, trust them as much as you have clear information… don’t make assumptions on the way the candidates communicate to you, just on phone calls.....

Soft skills.... hard lessons...!

While some of us in the recruitment fraternity did not enjoy the roles we did, and stayed put only for the lack on alternatives, and so much for the good money coming in for disproportionately less efforts, for many of us, this was a profession were every encounter was a learning experience.

And this was one great experience in understanding how important soft skills can be for a prospective candidate, be it even in the senior level.

The position was that of a Regional Manager for the enterprise business of a large and well known technology company, reporting to the Head of sales of the company. A close friend of mine handled the position for a large recruitment company; as for good recruitment professionals, he did enjoy a fantastic relationship with most of the clients he worked with, both with the HR/recruitment managers, and the senior line managers to whom various positions reported to.

Sanath was the candidate and he had travelled all the way from Pune to Chennai for this discussion. Sanath reached the office of the client in Tidel Park, the IT destination for the city then. The discussion was scheduled for 11.00.

At 11.30, a good half hour after the scheduled time, Sanath called my friend, and said that he was made to wait for half an hour, and could not get through to the Head Sales, Anand.

The friend swung into action and immediately reached Anand, the Head Sales on his handphone. “Sir, just to share that Sanal is waiting at your front office since half hour, and your people have not informed you about that!”. The good friend was not remotely prepared for the aftermath.

“Sorry John, In all probability Sanal will be a reject for this role, and I would not want to meet him now”. A shell-shocked John, gasping for breadth, says “Sirrr… but why…? He has flown in all the way from Pune??”.

"John, as you know, the products we deal with are complex technology products/solutions, which require super sales skills at all levels. This candidate Sanal, has not been able to sell himself hard even to my receptionist, and pushed her into getting to me quickly. Added to that, he has also wasted a full 30 minutes, just not doing anything about the situation. I don’t think he will fit my bill for a Regional Manager position. Why don’t you just tell him to go back?"

A shell-shocked John finally requested Anand to please meet Sanal cursorily for a couple of minutes; and thanks to the track record, and the relationship enjoyed, Anand agreed.

This was such a completely different perspective on how decisive a couple of simple-looking real life situations could be.

Then on John even made it a point to educate candidates on these aspects and how important it is to announce having “arrived at the venue” of the interview” was!

A hard lesson on what soft skills could mean to all the stakeholders – candidate, client and the recruitment consultant!

The Real Reason Why Employees Leave....

The following information is taken from the book, The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave: How To Recognize The Subtle Signs and Act Before It’s Too Late, by Leigh Branham, 2005, AMACOM publishers.

The Saratoga Institute conducted a survey and it revealed that 89% of managers believe employees leave for more money. But, in fact, the survey found that 88% of employees leave for reasons other than money. What a disconnect!

Maybe it is easier for managers to think that money is the real issue, rather than hear that there are things that need to be fixed. But, the truth is, there are things that can be done to keep employees happy and productive, and on the job.

The 10 most frequently mentioned issues that employees say companies do poorly are:

• Poor management—uncaring and unprofessional managers; overworking staff; no respect, not listening, putting people in wrong jobs; speed over quality; poor manager selection processes.

• Lack of career growth and advancement opportunities—no perceivable career paths; not posting job openings or filling from within; favoritism or unfair promotions.

• Poor communications—problems communicating top-down and between departments; after mergers; between facilities.

• Pay—paid under-market or less than contributions warrant; pay inequities; slow raises; favoritism for bonuses/raises; ineffective appraisals.

• Lack of recognition—that says it all.

• Poor senior leadership—not listening, asking, or investing in employees; unresponsiveness and isolation; mixed messages.

• Lack of training—nonexistent or superficial training; nothing for new hires, managers, or to move up.

• Excessive workload—doing more with less; sacrificing quality and customer service for numbers.

• Lack of tools and resources—insufficient, malfunctioning, outdated, equipment/supplies; overwork without relief.

• Lack of teamwork—poor coworker cooperation/commitment; lack of interdepartmental coordination.

If you see that these are problems in your workplace, actively work to get them corrected through work team initiatives, discussions with your manager, or sharing corporate models where things are done right. Sometimes it is easier to fix the problem then move on and start anew.

Hiring from direct competition.... a few points...

While there is nothing wrong in competing for talent, and 'poaching'from your direct competition, there are some dont's - and there are very relevant to WOW the prospective employee.....
1. Never start with 'your company is in dumps...'. The candidate is willing to look at you precisely because of that... Re-iterate as to how life can be better in your place, rather than speaking the load of negatives about competition.... Reflects badly on the quality of the HR function...!
2. Engage only in a relevant conversation, from the specific prospective employee point of view. Statements like 'xyzee from your place came at our terms etc' would only get you desparadoes' and not the real stars... Remember, you are not a savior, and you get them for a business goal too.
3. Listen to the prospective employee point of view, instead of mouthing platitudes on how your company got people cheap... What is the prospective employee retorts 'you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.. uh...'?!
4. Showcase as to why you are good, and not as to why the other company is bad. The employee comes from there, and has no need to hear their company details from you.
5. Clarify roles and responsibilities, instead of only sounding like buying 'human vegetables'. That is HR at its pits, and is a bad reflection of how you value people.
6. By taking names, of whom you got for what, you drive the prospective employee to more comparison which could harm your company interests... plus now those who have come in are 'your employees', and what you do, directly speaks volumes about your quality of hiring.
7. A simple "this is the best we can pay in your case" is good for everyone. Don't throw open a pandora's box by mentioning all irrelevant data.
8. Remember, you hire people for your company growth. If that is not the pivot, then you are harming careers, and also you company.
9. Good prospective employees are smart candidates... If you think otherwise, the cream will never fall for you verbal innuendo. And no book in HR advises innuendo as a prudent hiring practice.
10. Allow the prospective employee to speak, and for godsake, you listen. As they always say, two ears are to listen that much more, that speaking with one mouth. And if its a tele conversation, you have to listen that much more.

Remember, the prospective candidates, in these few conversations, see you as a brand ambassador. And HR is indeed the best brand ambassador for your organisation.

Lets' live up to our jobs...!

The Seven Most Common Pitfalls in Hiring.. Courtesy of Joy Chen.

When performing a search, hiring executives often commit the same mistakes again and again. Search-firm professionals often fall into the same traps. Oftentimes on a search, these pitfallsare layered on top of one another, resulting in a new employee who lacks the skills, characteristics and cultural fit your business really needs. Here are a few common traps. Do any sound familiar?

The Halos and Horns Effect

When interviewing, most people make a "yes/no" assessment on a candidate within the first few minutes of an interview. Research shows that the "halos" or "horns" you attach to a candidate then tend to color your entire interview, as well as your recollection of the interview. The "halos and horns" effect thus clouds your ability to assess a candidate's fit beyond a cursory first impression.

The Search for a Replica

When a company needs to fill a position that has been vacated, often they go looking for someone similar to the person who just left. "What was the old CFO like," you may ask yourself, "Where did he or she come from?" In this way, the search is based on the past needs of your organization rather than the needs of your company today or in the future.

The Copycat Approach

When they're not sure where else to turn, companies often look to their friends and competitors for examples of who to hire. You may ask, "Does anyone have a Vice President of Marketing position description I can borrow?" By copying someone else's search, you'll end up with candidates suited to someone else's company rather than yours.

The Search for a "Great Athlete"

Lack of clarity in what a company is looking for can doom any search. We've seen more than one CEO instruct, “Just give me a great athlete and I'll fit them into the position.” But other company officials involved in vetting candidates who have no idea how the CEO defines a “great athlete.” Searches often break down on the basis of what's left unsaid in candidate criteria.

The Monster.com Approach

Companies sometimes zero in on the elements of a candidate's resume to the detriment of other elements of the search. They may be so impressed by the Ivy League MBA, or the stint at a big-name consulting firm, that they forget to closely assess the candidate's soft skills and cultural fit against what's needed.

Looking for a New Friend

This is an inverse of the Monster.com Approach. People sometimes put too much emphasis on a candidate's ability to "fit in" to the company's social atmosphere. Lacking a structured approach to interviewing, you may find yourself turning the interview into an informal chat, and end up without a clear sense of the candidate's skills and competencies versus what's needed in the position.

The Mini-Me Approach

People like to spend time with others who are like themselves. In hiring for your team, you may find yourself unconsciously looking for someone who mirrors your own style and skills, indeed, a more junior version of yourself. Over time, with this approach, you may find that your team lacks the range of talent that you need to effectively reach your goals.

This is such a good hiring ready-reckoner... Love this....

post offer retention...?!

It may not be the in thing in these times of recession Circa 2009... But we all know that it was common to have employees come back to the management with a decision to exit owing to a higher compensation.... and the management, through HR comes back to the employee with a more attractive compensation and other employee retention tools.... 

I have heard a few cases then and even now, where the line/function commits something to the employee, and once the employee concurs, and almost decides to stay back, HR ups the ante and says that it was not privy to the decision.... and the candidate is at a loss morally, and monetarily too....

Looking at this, guess candidates need to be clear if they will stay or leave come what may....   and not tread in ambiguity, screwing up their career and stature both with the present employer and the future employer too......

Am in the game and race...

Yes... I am in the game and race.... I will persist to move towards my avowed goals.... and now I wake up from this brief slumber.....  To rise I am here... and I will raise above all of this temporary murk of unnecessary thoughts....