I have read several articles over the last few weeks focused around recruitment problems such as – why are candidates ghosting you, or why do hires not turn up on their first day?
Interestingly I have found that with many of these articles, much is being bandied about regarding the attitude of the Millennial’s, or Gen Y’s, or ALL candidate’s attitudes in general being to blame – Come on!!
Some Companies out there are still looking at candidates as a commodity. They are not!!! We are all human beings with our own minds and needs, and different things make us all tick. Sometimes things don’t gel – and that is OK. Not everyone is going to be right for every role and you can’t push a square peg into a round hole.
There are key factors one needs to understand and these do often seem to be missed. For example; how does each side of the recruitment table see the process and what can be done to avoid issues further down the line?
A couple of examples of how both sides’ perspectives are different could simply be:
The Hiring manager stating “The reason I am hiring is …” Versus the candidate wondering “Why are they really hiring?” If both sides feel something hasn’t been said, you are already on the road to miscommunication.
The Hiring Manager simply wondering, whilst a candidate is sitting in front of them, “Where will their skills fit best in the team?” Versus the candidate thinking “How can I use the skills I prefer to use most when I join?” Neither side has talked it through at the beginning of their respective journeys.
Often when a bit of whitewashing is done on both sides early on, questions that should really have been asked earlier in the process being missed. You are suddenly at the final stages – and all that is then considered by the hiring manager is “I need to hire someone now” versus the candidate’s aspect of “I need a new position because of ……”
When frank conversations are not initiated at the beginning of the hiring process, “feelings” as well as actual requirements are not aligned on either side; offer stages are reached with no one feeling able to back out ( the hiring manager has invested time and the candidate has a few interviews so is going through the process). We are human as I said earlier on
Inevitably some of the following can the occur; after 6 months a candidate leaves with negative thoughts about the Company, the hiring manager is left frustrated with a candidate not able to fit with the team, or the recruitment team is back to the drawing board not quite understanding why things didn’t work out. Does this sound familiar??
It is really important to be honest – scratch beneath the surface of what you are looking for. with each role. That really does apply to both the Hiring Manager and recruiters (be that in-house or agency) even before you start interviewing candidates.
Honest, direct and sometimes uncomfortable conversations at the start of the hiring process can often feel like time wasting to a hiring manager or the in-house recruitment team. But ultimately you will be far more successful in building teams if this is done. Technology has progressed and we have become much more reliant on automation, messaging and emailing in both the work place and in our personal lives; this in turn leads to much being missed in terms of inference, tone and actually hearing what someone is saying and as a result, essential discussions are not taking place.
Here at Mobilus we are keen to have those conversations; be it face to face or over the phone so we can truly understand the hiring manager’s real needs. Likewise we will ask, what may seem like, very probing questions to both our Clients and our candidates. The end goal is to ensure that both parties can have a fruitful working relationship and both feel like they have ultimately made the right decision; attending an interview or extending an offer.
It also means we as a recruitment consultancy are in a position to understand, with our candidates, when roles aren’t right before they even reach the hiring managers. It’s not about just ticking of skills and experience. It’s not just about filling an interview slot or job. It’s about everyone getting the best result for them.
So remember it’s much better to be honest – and harking back to an old advert from 1995 – the Generation X era “It’s good to talk”
So pick up the phone and call us on +44 (0)1628 762 762 – even if it is just to pick our brains, get some advice, or set up a meeting.
