by Geoff Hardy

Created on: August 08, 2011

Recruitment of new staff and getting the process right is clearly a critical function for any organization. Tom Peters, for example, in his book 'The Little Big Things' highlights recruitment as a key area where organizations typically give too little focus. When the recruitment process goes wrong, the costs can be high; not only in lower job performance but also in higher staff attrition and the need to recruit again.

There is an art to getting the recruitment process right. A mix of skill and judgement are required at each stage of the process to ensure that the best results are obtained.

There are a number of key components in the art of recruitment. These include:

1. Job descriptions or role profiles - there should be a job description in place for the role that has become vacant. The job description should clearly identify the skills and experiences that prospective candidates need. In addition, the job description should specify the competencies that are needed to carry out the job successfully. For example, in a sales role, the ability to negotiate will be a key competency. Organizations will generally have a standard format for job descriptions so they work consistently across all roles.

2. Sources of applications - a decision needs to be made on where to obtain applications for the role. The recruiting manager may advertise in the press to source applications. Alternatively, a specialist recruitment agency may be used. Some organizations use an internal staff referral scheme to generate applications for the roles they are recruiting for. Whatever choice is made, many organizations find that keeping records on how much it costs to use each option against its level of success helps with subsequent decision-making.

3. Selection process - there needs to be a clear selection process in place that tests each of the competencies in the job description and ensures that candidates have the skills and experience stated. The first part of the selection process will often be the screening of the CVs or resumes that are submitted. Other selection activities may include interviews, tests, assessment centres, presentations or role plays. In any event, staff involved in the selection process should be fully trained and accredited to make sure the process is as objective as possible.

In practice, the recruitment process can fall down at any of these stages. Common issues include; competencies for the role are not clearly thought through, recruitment agencies are used when they don't really understand the nature of the role they are finding candidates for and inconsistent selection processes.

The process of recruitment often works best where there is involvement from specialist Human Resource staff and the managers that the role will report to. This combination ensures that there is objectivity in the process and also an understanding of the demands of the role that is being filled. Additionally, it is advisable to involve the Human Resource team to ensure the legal requirements surrounding the recruitment process are adhered to.

The art of recruiting new staff can be a difficult process to get right, particularly in organizations where a large amount of recruitment is taking place. However, there are few business processes that are more critical, or potentially costly if they go wrong.

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