Editor’s Note: The pair will be guest speakers April 22 at the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce. For information, www.manchesterchamber.com.
Q. You mention matching the right person with the right job. Does that mean sometimes creating the right job to keep a good person in your organization?
A. Ensuring a good fit between a candidate, the job, and the organization is the overall objective of the hiring process. The better the fit, the higher the level of employee/employer satisfaction, productivity/performance, and ultimately retention. This creates a win-win situation. Historically, proactive companies do create or modify job descriptions and responsibilities to attract and retain the best talent. The higher level of talent (skills, knowledge, and abilities) a person possesses, the more marketable that person is as well. Therefore, providing there is a good organizational fit, it is a smart business move to make the effort to recruit the best talent available for the organization’s long-term success.
What are some of the tools of successful recruitment? After all these years, why does recruitment continue to be so difficult?
Recruitment is a process. Unfortunately, employers become impatient, they want to fill a vacant position immediately, and therefore do not always follow the proper recruiting steps. To ensure a good job and organization fit there are several steps that are necessary:
1. Proper resume screening: review experience, skill sets, competencies, and work history.
2. Conduct a pre-screening interview: a telephone interview works well.
3. Conduct an in-person interview: allow enough time to get to know the candidate and for the candidate to get a good feel for the job requirements, organizational structure, and culture; ask behavioral-based questions; in appropriate situations assessment instruments can be helpful (i.e. skills based, IQ, EQ, leadership styles, personality type tests, etc.)
4. Timely follow up: connect with candidates regarding the status of the interview process and the next steps.
5. Professionalism: even though a candidate was not chosen for this position does not mean that they may not be considered at a later date, for another position; or that they may be a current or future customer of your business.
What are the mistakes candidates are making when job hunting?
Candidates often make the same mistakes as employers; they are in a hurry to find a job, therefore may not do their due diligence in being sure it is the right fit, and unfortunately, the job does not work out. Candidates must present themselves at their best.
Some things to think about:
· Professional appearance
· Research the company
· Be prepared with a few probing questions about the job and organization
· Be quick to build a rapport with the interviewer
· Follow up – be careful not to get to invasive or aggressive in the follow up effort
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On the flip side, what are some of the mistakes recruiters make when trying to build a successful organization?
Again, not using a thorough recruitment process is usually the first misstep. It is important that the recruiter understands the needs of the organization, not only in the short term, but also, over the long term, especially for succession planning. Recruiters must be good listeners and be willing to invest time with the candidates: resumes only provide a brief synopsis of the candidate’s value. In addition, recruiters must be able to speak to the culture of the company and highlight the company’s mission and vision for the future to the perspective candidate.
“Building a High Performance Team” suggests a collection of Type-A personalities. Can that group of people work together?
“Building a High Performance Team” is about bringing people together from cross-cultural backgrounds, multi-generational, various skill sets and complementary competencies, as well as different personality types. An employer wants to screen for best job fit and organization fit, however, when building a team, you need diversity to support innovation and higher levels of collective performance. Teams need seasoned leaders, developing leaders, and those who are comfortable being a worker and follower.
You’re both experts in organizational development. Does that suggest the problem oftentimes is with the organization and not the individual? It seems almost organic in some respects.
The relationship between the employer and the employee begins with a psychological contract (a set of expectations): oftentimes, the employer falls short on their promises first. For example, many times the first disappointment is in the orientation and on-boarding process. The employee may not get the training and social assimilation necessary for them to get out of the gate with a strong start. To ensure success the employer and employee must have clear expectations, open communication, and mutual understanding of the needs and goals of each.
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