HRHR..

HRRecruitment:?

Crickey, another 129 applications! ?

Recruitment had become a very different challenge now that the internet was being used. She’d had to battle hard with the management committee to get her business case heard but eventually good sense had won and technology was beginning to be embraced. At this rate the talent pipeline would soon be bursting with talent. Job adverts were now reaching a large number of potential candidates, so she felt confident that a placement could be made soon. Time was dragging on and everyone was getting restless to see change happening. Nobody spoke of it but it was widely known to be needed. But, being an old and traditional organisation brought with it a rigidly set hierarchy. ?

She was the CEO and having been in the role for many years it was time to think about stepping down so that fresh blood could take on this demanding role. Succession planning was proving to be a nightmare with one senior manager suspended and another resigning it seemed like a good time to look outside the walls. ?

With her final salary pension in place and a villa in Spain bought it felt like a good time to hand over the reigns. But, how to appoint the successor and be sure to leave everything in a safe pair of hands? Recruitment and development had always had to take a back seat but now there was nothing more important. ?The pace of change and the shifting recruitment landscape had left this organisation somewhat lagging behind? ?

They had always favoured mainstream recruitment strategies; using the paper press and word of mouth. An internal job board had been set up in attempt to trawl their own internal pipeline but this had not been a great success either; too many hopefuls applying for roles where they had little or no experience (in this time of austerity and cutbacks promotions had been stopped). Referrals had not been great either so using the internet seemed to be the way forward if they were to target the right candidates.?

Why was being head of HRHR such a thankless job? This gave her sleepless nights.?

She switched on the desktop and logged in. All too often this was a battle of wits followed by a despairing call to the IT service desk. ?Today the systems seemed to be working well after some server work over the weekend. She was quickly into the recruitment system, Best Foot Forward, in no time at all. So far so good!?

With the closing date now passed it was now time to start reviewing the applications. She had had to become hard and corporate when doing this and soon had the 129 down to 16.?

Lots of applicants did not have any experience in both the public and private sectors and this was essential for the role. At the click of a button they were ‘displaced’. Did people not read the specifications? Maybe the recession was causing applicants to cast their nets further and wider. She had recently received a memo from her office manager, David, advising her that it was vitally important to consider diversity. ?She paid little heed to this and would endeavour to get the right person for the job no matter whether male or female or black or white or purple.?

After a mid-morning cuppa and biscuit she did a second review of the remaining 16. This was more detailed and she was looking for candidates with experience of managing projects, international operations and law. It would he handy if they lived locally but not essential. After 3 digestives and some more deleting she had the 16 CV’s whittled down to 3. It was time to bring them in for interview.?

She checked her diary and next Tuesday morning looked good. She did not like arriving to work on a Monday after a weekend break (exhausting herself with kids and dogs) knowing that her diary was full of interviews. This was bad for her and bad for the candidates. She got up from her desk and took the files through to her intern, Marie, to contact the candidates and arrange interviews for her.

The Interviews:?

1.??The 10.30 candidate had called and cancelled. He had accepted another position with an overseas competitor. She thought that had they acted quicker then this might not have happened. These delays were getting costly.?

2.??Upon arrival at midday the second candidate looked quite harassed and dishevelled. He gulped down the glass of water provided, ran his sleeve across his chin and sat with legs crossed and arms folded. These were not good signs she thought. Always a professional, she carried on and after a few cursory and light hearted welcoming lines (weather and travel) she began to delve deeper. It was her favourite approach to ask candidates what they knew of the organisation and how their skills matched the role. This did not take long and the candidate, very candidly, admitted to having never heard of them before or their product but when the email alert landed in his inbox he thought he would give it a ‘crack’ as he was ready for a new challenge. He had managed several top flight premiership clubs and this had given him strong international exposure. His communication skills were brash and clumsy at best. Why had she selected him? After only 20 mins she hit a dead end. He had some interesting stories she was sure; but his rather crude manner would not fit into the new progressive organisation she was hoping to leave as her legacy. He was keen to know the salary and made that his only question. She saw him to the door where he made a joke about going off to apply for more jobs. Odd she thought and then deleted him from the list. ?

3.??The third candidate was internal and had been making noises about this role for sometime. Internal references were mixed but she had a policy to follow. Now that he had taken a course in excel he met the minimum requirements and had to be seen (trouble with the unions was best avoided). At 2pm she went out to meet him. ?He looked a little stiff and formal and was reading some notes. He looked to be shaking slightly. Although well turned out in dark suit and sober tie he his laces were undone. She pointed this out and he chuckled something about Health and Safety and how he hoped he did not trip himself up again. It was important to be able to have a light laugh as this position often presented adversity. It also needed a ‘personable’ approach and some humour. This was essential. As he was internal she knew his face. They had often passed in the corridor or met at the coffee machine. Conversation was slight but always polite. She started by asking him what he knew about the organisation and what experience he could bring to the job. He had obviously prepared thoroughly as he knew his all their history and had good examples of work to back up his skills. He had obviously researched competencies and had done plenty preparation. She was impressed. After a 45 min interview it was time for him to ask any questions. He only had one:

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???????So, mother when do you think I might be King……