Increasingly, payroll professionals are moving from permanent to interim and temporary work1. Drop the person spec – it is irrelevant
Businesses are always criticising the slow pace of the recruitment process, so here is a way to speed it up. Get rid of the person specification – what does it tell you about someone? Nothing that is going to make any difference as to whether they fit in and do a good job.
The attributes listed are vague and generic. ‘A good communicator’ – what does this mean? You only have to look at politics to see endless examples of good communicators who no one wants to listen to.
Person specifications are so mealy-mouthed that they cannot possibly produce what the business wants. They have become an exercise in politically acceptable euphemism. You really want a bloody-minded, flint-hearted manager who has the grip and tenacity of a Staffordshire bull terrier, and frankly you could not give a damn whether people like them.
What does the people spec for the post say? ‘Ability to pursue projects to completion despite encountering challenges’. This will produce a bunch of interview candidates who bore the panel senseless talking about how they build engagement and who are incapable of doing the job that needs doing.
2. Reduce the ‘four-week walkouts’
These are the people you recruited at enormous cost who stay for a month and then slide off, quoting any reason they do not think will get them sued. Most of these expensive mis-hires have two underlying causes: the job was not as they thought it would be or they do not like the culture.
Getting rid of the person spec, which usually has an entirely misleading emphasis on soft skills, will help; however, it is important to take a hard look at the recruitment process. In addition to giving virtually no insight into the person you are hiring, it provides zero insight for the candidate.
There are cheap ways to do something about this, such as the guided tour for interviewees. They will be able to tell a lot about the organisation from all the non-verbal cues they will receive while being shown around; for example, how are people dressed? What kind of people are they? Does anyone like the interviewee work there, or would they be different?
You cannot get any of this from social media or job packs; instead, interviewees must go there and see it for themselves. A lot of mis-hires could be avoided by giving candidates this kind of insight into the type of organisation they would be joining.
3. Bring in 24/7 feedback – both ways
A yearly appraisal is a pointless way to try to get the most out of the talent. Scrap it, and figure out how they can feed back to you at any time and how you can give them continuous development opportunities.
Many companies have open door policies; unfortunately, they often open onto a closed mind. Drop the invisible ‘do not disturb’ sign and get the talent feeling that they were recruited to make a contribution and that this contribution is genuinely welcome.
Join Over 40,000 Recruiters. Get our latest articles weekly, all FREE – SEND ME ARTICLES
Recruiters love this COMPLETE set of Accredited Recruitment & HR Training – View Training Brochure
