LOOKING INSIDE TO LOOK OUTSIDE

By: Eric Wong, Recruiting and Placement Consultant

Inventors have long discussed the topic of how to better build the proverbial mousetrap. I say that in order to build the better mousetrap you have to first ask the mouse. Over the past 9 years I have had the opportunity to survey a wide base of employees from different industries and have thoughtfully considered their impressions of the crazy world of recruiting. Hence, the thought of asking the mouse about what type of cheese they prefer.

To keep up with the speed of business, today’s employers need to apply new methods of recruiting. This is important in order to adapt to the changing pace of balancing their human resources while utilizing cost-effective and strategic methods for attracting qualified applicants. While traditional newspaper advertisements, job fairs and headhunting techniques may produce a few quality job seekers, statistically the higher costs and yield of a much larger pool of non-qualified applicants raises the question of the effective use of time, money and resources in recruiting.

There are three common themes that tend to repeat themselves. In asking both the employed and non-employed about their recruiting experiences and their suggestions for what could be done to improve the process overall, the following observations were made:

1. Even though the amount of money and benefits package may be attractive (or non-attractive), the most compelling reason for accepting an employment offer is their understanding and expectation of the type of work they will be performing.
2. Candidates would have liked to have spent an equal amount or more time with someone at a peer level in the interview process to better understand and appreciate the potential job and work place environment. There seemed to be an unnecessary amount of time spent with management and HR personnel. Had they been given the opportunity to communicate more with peers, then their level of expectations would be more aligned and supportive of their overall job satisfaction.
3. Candidates are more likely to accept positions in a company where there is a communication link and familiarity with past or current employees who have been satisfied with their employment based on actual experience.

From these discussions I have had to revisit and break from some of the basic recruiting traditions ingrained in me from my Human Resources youth. As a result, some of the following techniques I have discovered and incorporated along the way may yield the same cost, time, and morale benefits to your organization as well.

First of all, the grass is truly greener in your own backyard. The greatest resource for recruiting qualified applicants is through your own employees who are currently performing the job or are in a similar role. These individuals know the job, they know the requirements of someone who will be successful and the characteristics of someone who will fail. Even employees of the company in other departments still have an edge over traditional recruiting methods. An employee who is a good performer will more than likely refer a successful performer who will show greater longevity and commitment to the organization over time, particularly over a candidate selected through a headhunter. Even the most professional headhunter is an outsider to your company’s culture. For today’s savvy business organizations, employee referral and reward systems are a must. Taking into consideration that a typical placement fee to a headhunter or agency is 20% to 35% of the first year’s base salary, it is obvious that the cost savings and the potential multiplying factor of qualified leads will save the company a considerable amount of money and time. With the conservative employee reward suggestion of 1% to 2% of base (which would have gone to an outside vendor),

Innovative recruiting solutions employees are certain to become a valuable and motivated recruiting resource. In addition, employees who are committed to the company take greater responsibility in ensuring the integrity of their referrals. Employees will be mindful of their reputations when associating their name to a prospective employee.

There are other benefits to organizations who adopt an employee referral system. For one, marketing. What better way to spread the good new about your product, service and company virtues than through your own employees? Testimonials tend to be powerful selling tools. Secondly, employees who are self-challenged and provided with incentives to go out and recruit can be strong advocates of what your company stands for. In other words, it’s hard to go out and effectively recruit while hating your company. Allowing employees to be part of the recruitment process helps them to feel good about themselves, their contribution to the company and their attitude to the organization as a whole.

Next, a creative way for motivating and supporting your recruitment efforts while boosting morale and performance is to build a performance measurement component into the employee performance criteria which requires your employees to recruit new talent for the company. Depending on the level of employee, this could be required as a job essential. For others, it can be an added component to the job or an "extra credit" performance factor. Measurable efforts to recruit or market are then graded and if a referral is made and subsequently hired, a referral bonus is given to the employee as an incentive award. Here are a few suggestions that have proven to be beneficial to many companies - Have your employees 1) give presentations to professional associations; 2) speak as guest lecturers at local colleges or alumni association meetings; or 3) present the company’s products or services at local Chamber meetings, business forums or other public venues that would allow others to learn about your company’s mission, vision, culture, products and services.

When interviewing prospective candidates, allow for a sufficient amount of interview time to be spent with employees in similar but non-competing roles. Having only management level employees or HR conduct interviews tends to provides a limited view of the job. In addition, a time for "shadowing" employees or direct observation should be offered to prospective candidates to allow them to accurately evaluate the job, (work environment, coworkers) and ask questions to better determine if the job being offered is truly the right match. Employees who are asked to join the interview process often feel more valued and part of the strategic planning and vision for their department.

Finally, whether you choose to place advertisements, use the services of an outside recruiter or your own employees, be mindful to "sell" the positions not only by the benefits of the organization but through detailed explanation of the work that will be performed and how this ties into the bigger picture of the company’s strategic plan. In the art of recruiting, you want the candidate to be motivated in coming to your organization by the skills they possess and how they will be applying them to the tasks at hand. Setting forth the company’s benefit programs as the focal selling point puts the candidate in a frame of mind of what they can expect to gain. By focusing on the variety of work assignments, a mutual understanding of giving and receiving is achieved which creates a win-win perspective for both the employee and employer.

The recruiting process need not be just another administrative task. There are many great benefits to be gained along the way for both the company, employees and job candidates if conducted properly. It can also be both rewarding, educational and for all. So…gather all those job requisitions together, get started and enjoy!