By Paul Bertrand
January 7, 2015
So many companies recruit and select individuals with the
goal of adding new employees who hold basic traits, ethics or values that are
important to the successful hire. I’m
referring to honesty, open communication and trustworthy.
Yet, why is it that so many recruiting and selection
processes leave applicants doubting if the company is honest, leaving them with
withheld communication, and leaving potential applicants not taking the steps
to apply. Would you agree that if you
want individuals with specific basic competencies to join your company, the
environment you are portraying, especially the selection process, needs to
match those values.
Too many recruiters today never start with an inviting,
honest and respectful relationship. They
portray themselves in the driver’s seat and demonstrate a dominant role in the
selection process. Things as simple as choosing to not thank people in
applying, a basic task, especially with merge functions, leaves a bad
perception. An attitude that they don’t
really care other than who meets the requirements or at least the ones that the
recruiter believes meets the requirements.
Let’s face it, in today’s competitive and difficult search for top performers,
you need to ensure that you are inviting top candidates and not leaving them
with any doubt of your company values.
The old saying that you only get one chance for that first
impression is no different on getting interest to your job postings. When someone gets the first impression from
looking at a posting and is left with missing info like compensation details,
no idea on who the company is, especially when a 3rd party recruiter
is involved, lack of details on the position responsibilities and all too often
the statement that only qualified candidates will be communicated, leaves some
to pursue their search for a better employer.
Too often the efforts are limited in ensuring that postings
will attract and communicate to the audience you are looking for. Maybe the entry admin position is not the
best individual to be left with this key public relations and communication
task of developing and anchoring an interest.
Companies will ensure that their values and core principles
are communicated for all to see.
Websites, Press Releases, Shareholder Updates and Newsletters, but yet
their recruiting efforts leave potential and applying candidates with such a
bad depiction of the company. They too
often believe this process only connects with one of the two, non-worthy or successful
candidates. Not understanding that many did
not bother applying based on what they first where introduced to.
If you are looking to add top performers from job postings,
recruiting activities and selections processes, make sure they reflect your key
core principles or values, especially those that are important to your culture. Also, don’t be scared to put yourself in
other people shoes and determine if your processes are more deterring or
attracting. Sometimes the easy and
simple way, is not the best way.
Paul Bertrand is founder of
Canadian People Management Inc. which is based out of Pickering , Ontario
www.cpeoplemi.com
