• When applying ensure that the position/job title is stipulated in your correspondence; in the subject line, if it is via email. Many recruiters have a list of positions that they are recruiting for at any one time.
• Adhere to the requirements of the ad. For example if a request is made to send a covering letter and salary expectation, do so!
• Send updated CV’s. Many CV’s have incorrect contact details - wrong cellphone numbers! Some CVs don’t include the candidate’s current position and have incorrect dates for various jobs held.
• Ensure that there aren’t gaps in CV’s sent. If there are years left out in the CV it naturally does not give a sense of consistency. By having gaps my first thought as a recruiter would be “what are they hiding?”
• One that has caused a few laughs, is CV’s sent with photos. If you want to include a photo, please ensure that it is professional and recent. Avoid sending provocative photos, or one’s from your last party or fancy dress function.
• When providing details on references ensure that your direct manager’s details are given. There is little value in speaking to HR or a colleague when assessing work performance.
• In explaining the reason for leaving a specific job, honesty pays. Often the stories are contradictory, the version the referees give and explanations offered by the candidates simply don’t correlate. This inevitably will raise questions on trust and integrity.
• If you have a change of heart about the application and an interview time has been set which you don’t plan to attend, phone the recruiter immediately, don’t just ignore it. You are entitled to withdraw your application, after all it is your life! BUT just not pitching shows blatant disrespect to those waiting for you and their valuable time wasted.
• Some applicants arrive at the interview not knowing which position they have applied for. Make sure you ask upfront - recruiters understand that candidates are often applying for many positions at a time.
• When candidates are questioned on experience and knowledge of computer programmes, the truth about the skill level attained is critical. An example is excel. Often candidates claim to be proficient, yet don’t know how to do even the basics, such as formulas.
• It has intrigued me that candidates apply for positions but are not able to get away to attend interviews. This is not the future employer’s problem. After hours interviews are often not practical. Candidates need to, as far as possible, work around the interviewer’s schedule and not the other way around.
• Doing research about the company upfront is critical. This shows interest and commitment to the recruitment process and the potential work culture the candidate may be entering.
• Ensure that a message can be left on cellphones - no “dial 1 to leave your number, dial 2 for urgent” voicemail settings! The fact that a number will be sms’d back to the potential candidate is of no value. So, record an upbeat voice message on the message facility.

Competition is stiff, times are hard. Each job attracts scores of applications. Candidates that make the effort to get the basics right are the ones that stand out and get through to those final interviews.

Be careful that your interviews don’t fall into the category of “Rapport” interviews. There is so much information that we glean from a meeting with a candidate, a lot of which is not verbal, which can give us a cosy, warm feeling but without answers to the right questions, it’s difficult to quantify why we feel that way.

Unfortunately people aren’t necessarily who they say they are.

- The content in many CVs is fraudulent, and

- the qualifications people claim to have often isn’t the case

Do not assume that because there is a qualification under “Tertiary Education” in a CV, that the candidate possesses it. Ask the candidate if that course has been completed, as well as requesting the original certificate and results. A very concerning response these days is “No, but I enrolled this year”, or “I only have one subject to complete” or “I could not complete for financial reasons”

i.e. no qualification!

Not only is it valuable to check on the validity of the documentation, but also to assess a person’s actual skills. We regularly have applicants applying for accounting positions who have (or claim to have) a Higher National Diploma in Accounting. Many are unable to answer our first two questions - what is a debit? What is a credit? It’s always valuable to ask a candidate to perform and/or describe a generic task that you may require in the position.

There’s lots more to assess these days where we may have made assumptions in the past!

• A CV sent without completing the subject line in the email, or without some explanation in the content area, is plainly sloppy and suggests that the reader must guess which job the person is applying for. Many advertisers have more than one job on offer. That email will simply be deleted at worst, left ’til later at best
• A candidate “prepared to do any job” screams of desperation. Business owners don’t want desperate employees
• Think about what the business is looking for, not what you want. In a covering letter, briefly answer how you meet the job criteria and why you are suitable. This makes it a lot easier for the reader to single out your CV from the others
• Be contactable - make sure the contact numbers on the CV and other documents are accurate. Make sure there is paid airtime
• Can a message be left on your phone?
• How are calls answered? If the job is for a receptionist, call center operator, telesales position, then the caller wants to hear a clear, bright and joyful response every time!
• If you agree to an interview date and time, be there. If for any reason you can’t make it, phone well in advance
• Companies write off candidates that don’t pitch - wasting valuable time on candidates that don’t have the common decency to advise you is the first step in the wrong direction. If they act like this in the recruitment stage, what kind of employee are they likely to be?

Good candidates stand out for their professionalism, ethics and good manners, not just their skills and experience. These are the people employers want to work in their companies.

Seems pretty harmless, doesn’t it?

Sometimes these arrangements work out, but more often than not, they don’t….and they end badly, where the friendship is destroyed.

Business owners face challenges daily including the need to manage or control certain areas better. In meeting that colleague, the link is often made with their potential ability to manage or control something.

When that happens, please take a step back and consider the situation objectively:

• Define the key areas that need to be tackled
• Work out the objectives for each area
• Give thought to ways or measures that could be used to determine success or failure
• How long will it take to resolve each issue
• Based on the points above, assess what skills and experience are needed by a potential candidate
  
• How long will their skills be needed?
• What budget do you have to cover the costs?

You may find that you do not need a permanent employee, but rather a person for a fixed duration contract or for a few hours a week. Perhaps there are companies that can offer the expertise you require on a contracted basis. Or after all this, there are employees in your company who have the potential to do all or aspects of the tasks you need done. Or perhaps that colleague is a suitable prospect.

Protect your friendships and your business by taking time to analyze the specifications of the job first before looking to employ. Any mechanic will tell you that if you get the specs wrong, you’ll buy the wrong part and your engine won’t work.

So as a manager or business owner, work out what you need, rather than being pressurised by someone
placing their needs on you

• The deadlines had not been properly communicated and understood
• The tools needed to be successful were not available
• The staff member simply does not have the ability to do the work

The latter poses many questions:

• On recruitment did the staff member confirm that they were able to do the work that you expected from them? Specifically in their CV and interview answers.
• Has the employee received training on the problem areas?
• Did the employee misunderstand the outline of the role?

We often find that managers do not start how they want to finish in an employment relationship. Due to time constraints, procedures are not properly followed during the recruitment process and there is no clear monitoring process during the probation period. So when deadlines are not met, it isn’t clear whether it’s the employee’s attitude or ability

To prevent this:

• Be sure you have a clear outline, upfront of what you need from the employee
• During the interview ask task specific questions relevant to the job. Avoid having a “rapport interview”, i.e. you may like the candidate but that does not mean that s/he can do what is expected
• Conduct competency assessments
• Role plays are a very powerful way to assess whether a candidate can actually do a task, not merely say that s/he can do it
• If the job is of a technical nature conduct technical tests. If advanced Excel is a requirement, test the candidate’s Excel skills, don’t take his/her word for it
• When reference checking, confirm with referees the specific tasks candidates claim they can do
• On employment get the candidate to sign a document confirming they have the specific skills the job requires
• During probation have regular, documented performance feedback meetings

Stick to solid ground - you’re more likely to manage better by assessing skills and abilities, than trying to assess bad attitude

But still haven’t found what I am looking for. - U2

Are you looking for great employees with professional dedication and purpose, BUT just cannot find that ideal match? When trying to investigate the real reasons for this struggle we are finding that the blame is often due to poor planning on the employer’s side. Have you overlooked some of these basics in your process?

• Are your serious about recruiting or are you just wanting to see what skills are available in the market? If you are merely fishing , you may feel that it is worth it from your point of view, but be aware that candidates invest time and money in applying. Will the exercise create a poor impression of the company for potential candidates?
• A job description that includes not only the skills that you are looking for, but also an analysis of the kind of character you are looking for in the employee are essential. Use validated behavioural assessment tools that will measure company and job fit
• Formulate a precisely worded description of your culture that you can share with candidates. We are amazed at the number of employers that do not know how to succinctly describe their company’s culture
• If it’s the first interview, share the job detail and information on the company at the end of the interview, not the start. Professional interviewees will use your intro as a cue as to what to say!
• Use exercises (role plays, portfolios and presentations) that require candidates to share their problem-solving process, track record of accomplishments, and areas of greatest potential contribution
• Don’t assume anything - develop questions on day-to-day elements of the job and ask them!
• Assign applicants with tasks or essays they must submit, as part of the selection process. This will give you an advance read on various attributes such as values, ability to prioritise, critical thinking and analytical skills, as well as their seriousness in applying
• Do reference checks that ask questions about work place competencies or actions related to character
• Respond quickly to strong candidates as this will show your commitment
• Get back to unsuccessful candidates
• Avoid letting your interviewees wait for you, they may also be on limited time
• Offer your potential candidates something to drink!!! Remember first impressions count!

In these difficult times with skills shortages, employers feel pressurised to make hasty decisions. Be careful not to fall into the trap of “rapport interviewing” i.e. thinking a candidate is suitable simply because you related well to one another in the interview. At times like these, it is even more important to ensure that, amongst other things, you are clear about:

• the competencies (skills, experience and behavioural elements) required for the position
• the ways in which you choose to assess these in the process
• reference checking

People’s actions speak volumes. If a candidate is a “no-show” for an interview and doesn’t call in advance to apologise, or is “vague” about important elements of their career or past, chances are that they may be short on manners or will be “vague” participants, once employed in your business.

Place due emphasis on recruiting carefully. Don’t overlook tell-tale signs that may be warning you that the swan before you actually is a duck!