Recruiting

The recruitment process is interesting isn't it...?

As much as I would love to give everyone a job opportunity, it is not realistic. One would imagine that in this day and age of unemployment, potential employees would trawl through the Internet and read every piece of literature available on applying for a job and conducting interviews that make an impact; sadly not so. 

Our recruitment process whittles candidates down to those who are potentially a good fit even before laying eyes on each other. It is quite a process, but worth investing in. We continuously look for candidates so that there isn't a mad dash to hire someone just for the sake of it as the company grows. 

Below are my top five recruitment lessons | experiences | irks - 

1. In our industry, reading and being detailed orientated is important, we need to be very aware and zoomed in on a spectrum of things when looking after reputations. So, when we advertise and invite candidates to apply for a position, we always indicate that they need to do so online; the application form is on the home page of our website (www.reputationmatters.co.za).  You would be surprised how many people miss this and still send through their CVs. All I then say is ‘thank you for self-eliminating yourself from the process and saving us both time’. 

2. Then, when the online application form is found, there are quite a number of people that are put off by its length, it is not abnormally long, but people that are serious about applying will take the time to complete it. A half filled in application form is not going to get the candidate through to the next round.

3. I find it bizarre how many people apply for a position within the communication industry, and can't get the basics of grammar and spelling correct. If you refer to yourself as " i " (personally one of my absolute pet hates), and don't do a basic spell check – my thanks goes out to you for self-eliminating yourself.

4. Punctuality is important to me, so I must admit that I do watch the clock when meeting a recruit for the first time (mind you, any of the meetings set up throughout the process). Being slightly early makes a (positive) difference. In the past I've had fairly senior people apply for a position who forgot about the meeting! So, for starters - show up, and if you really want to make a good impression be slightly early. 

5. Finally, preparing for the meeting definitely helps. At minimum have a look at the company’s website. A while back I was interviewing for an assistant, and I asked one of the candidates why they wanted to join Reputation Matters? She looked a bit quizzical at me and said that she did not really know what the company does – ‘what is it that you do?’, she asked me. She did not get the position - thank you for your self-elimination.

What interesting recruitment scenarios have you experienced?