My notes on recruiting IT staff - note 3: Value all participants time
Following my last posts, today we'll talk about recruitment planning.
A problem I normally cross over recruitment is the time the company spends on it. Time is money, and even thinking that we are spending time around the future of the company, probably, we want to do it in the most productive way, right?
Plan it!
Everything needs a plan: Every project, every decision, and every recruitment process. Usually, managers never plan the recruitment process, allowing lots of consequences to reflect on the company’s everyday. A recruitment process has a lot of impact in your company, especially in the availability of human resources, which are one of the most important resources in your company.
You should plan your recruitment process, resources availability, minimum position requirements, financial budget, outsourcing management (if any) and, most important: milestones.
A common cause of failure in recruitment processes is the lack of milestones, allowing the project to overrun indefinitely. One most know when to stop, and a milestone defines a mental stop. You do have a candidate, or you do not have a candidate.
Normally, when (most of times) I don’t have a perfect candidate in the end of a milestone, I get the best one, if at least respects my minimum requirements.
Clarify the position
Your candidate could be the most experienced guy in the world, but if you don’t introduce him to the position, probably he will divagate in areas which do no interest you. Focus your interview. The first thing you should do is to introduce the position, clarify the requirements and your minimum expectations.
After clarifying the position, your candidate will be able to bold any motivations and capabilities in his profile, directing his presentation to what best fits your company.
It is also important to write a clear and bold classified that fits your needs. There is nothing worst than filtering hundreds of inappropriate resumes after posting an unclear job opportunity. Remember that the way you write your position description can influence all the process. As an example, consider Krista notes about Linguistic Framing.
Script it.
You should definitely, and always, script any phase of a recruitment process. Even if it is always the same person leading that phase (phone interview, for example), never, but never, let the will of that person define the way as the phase is directed. You should write a script, especially for any interviews, which should contain the phase objectives, questions, points of evaluation, maximum time allowed, and any other information you want to take of from that phase of the process.
A script will ensure that the same opportunities are given to each candidate, and ensure that all phase objectives are accomplished.
You should, of course, maintain your human side :) and improvise when needed. Do not limit yourself to a script allowing a kind of robot behavior, if objectives are being defeated. Remember the phase objectives, and when needed, bold any topic at your needs to ensure that all objectives are accomplished.
Book it
Do not count only with your agenda. Previously ask for any participant’s availability, allowing booking to happen normally, and inside everybody’s agenda. It is not funny to try to fit an interview between a candidate and two or three other participants. You could find yourself in a never ending story. The same with the room, as I previously mentioned in another post. You want to have the best conditions for your interview and to avoid unnecessary improvisation.
After booking an interview, you should immediately inform by e-mail all attendees and, if possible, send an e-mail to the candidate remembering and confirming the time, address, directions and interviewer.
Remember, time is money, and as soon as your finish your recruitment process, as soon as your company is producing more money.