HAVE YOU GOT TIME TO HIRE ?
Robert Kenward , stresses the importance of being committed to the recruitment process
get that everyone is really busy at the moment , and diaries are totally stacked ; but everyone wants to recruit and we all know that recruitment is vitally important to get right . So why does recruitment end up being a side of the desk job – something to be looked at once the ‘ day job ’ is done ?
Recruitment takes time and focus , it is not hard , but it is hard work – and I ’ ll die on this hill . I may not be able to change the way our industry sees recruitment , but I can impart some thoughts about how it can be improved .
Put your candidate first
The person applying for your job is currently working somewhere else and trying to fit interviews in with you around their full-time job , their family and their life . Their diary is going to be much harder to juggle than yours . I appreciate that recruitment is on top of your day job , but at least you are able to be open about it and you can block time out and say to your team “ I ’ m
“ Give [ candidates ] some flexibility , bend around them and their needs because this sends a very powerful message to them about what your company is actually like .”
Robert Kenward interviewing that day ”. Your candidate can ’ t do this , so if you insist that interviews have to held on a certain day , then they have to take the day off . Given the industry we are in , candidates can ’ t always dictate their working patterns and days off due to commitments to client events . Your candidate may only work from the office on a Wednesday ( so this is the only day they can ’ t do ); but you and your team only work from the office on a Wednesday ( so this is the only day you can do ). So that ’ s stale mate .
Give them some flexibility , bend around them and their needs because this sends a very powerful message to them about what your company is actually like .
Create a timeline
‘ Time to hire ’ – the time taken from the first application to when you issue the offer letter – should be no more than three or maybe five weeks for very senior hires . Taking longer than that sends a really bad signal to candidates and you may lose the best people because they will no doubt be applying for other roles too . Once you set things in motion by asking candidates to apply , you need to ensure that you deliver against your promises and stick to the plan .
Your plan
Week one – your advert goes live and the applications come in . All of those applications should receive a message stating the timeline and when each stage of the process will be . In that first week , if someone jumps out at you as a serious contender then you don ’ t have to wait ; you can grab the bull by the horns and respond quickly and get them in for an interview .
Week two and three – you are www . conference-news . co . uk