What does your recruitment approach say about you?
- Cynthia Harris
“When an organisation does DIY recruitment, it makes me question how they do business.”
This was a refreshing perspective from a senior leader I spoke with recently. She explained that she’s not a big fan of organisations doing their own recruitment and that it’s a job for an expert.
I’ve always said recruitment is the beginning of a professional relationship, not simply a ‘process’.
Recruitment is an opportunity - to transform and upgrade your team.
Recruitment is about creating connection - because we’re hardwired for connection and emotions govern our decisions.
Recruitment is a way to tell your story (ie as an employer) - and find out who it resonates with.
Recruitment is about articulating the value you bring to your employees’ lives.
Recruitment is also very time-consuming. And time is precious.
When you can get guaranteed ROI in exchange for 6 hours of your time, partnering with a recruitment business makes good sense. More on that in our next article.
This comment also got me thinking about some of the things that happen in recruitment which shouldn’t.
Super long application forms which require you to enter details which are in your CV?
Terrible. Too much friction. Too much time. Too hard.
Compulsory response to selection criteria which take hours to write?
Silly. Anyone could be writing these war and peace submissions.
And besides, imagine the time it takes to properly review 100 applications x CVs and selection criteria responses. Elongate your recruitment process and you lose.
The infamous 11-stage interview process to get a job with a global internet powerhouse?
What do you uncover in interview 9, 10 or 11 which you didn’t know at stage 2 or 3? Nothing.
Perhaps in the past it was the kudos of getting through all those interviews but in the modern world of work, making people jump through too many hoops is a fool's game.
Candidate experience (CX) has gained focus in recent years, and for good reason. How you treat people during the recruitment process sends a powerful message.
But I’m talking about more than candidate experience, here. I’m talking about our entire mindset around recruitment and talent.
Keeping the salary confidential until the interview? Seriously?
I haven’t heard of this happening recently, but it was definitely a ‘thing’ in the past. Time is the most precious resource we have. Any hiring team who is willing to spend time interviewing (and expects the candidates to invest time) without knowing there is alignment on salary is bonkers. Yes, I used that word.
Readvertising the same role and changing the job title only?
Hint: People know it’s the same job. What message does that send to the talent market?
Readvertising is a matter of wasted resources - and reputational damage. In July 2024, 47 per cent of Australian employers who were actively recruiting failed to fill their vacancy within one month.
Readvertising not only doubles advertising costs, it also increases the resources required to review, assess and respond to all applications. Given the countless conversations I have with leaders about recruitment challenges (and only calling in the expert when you’re getting desperate), it was an insightful comment which stayed with me.
For support with talent attraction or a confidential chat about your talent strategy and how to leverage key opportunities in the era of talent, get in touch with Cynthia Harris.