Real Talk | Real Recruitment. Chapter Three - When a Vacancy is a Replacement.

Alright! Let's get back to breaking down the recruitment process into its basic parts, just like I have promised you! We kicked it off by being real that One Size Isn't Fitting All since so many organizations seem to have their own version of the recruitment process, and then we dug into how a vacancy can be New or New New .

Now, I'd like to take a look at what it means when a vacancy is a replacement, and what that means to the jobseeker, the recruiter, and the hiring manager.

re·place·ment = the action or process of replacing someone or something

When it comes to replacement vacancies, one of the most important things that we need to identify is if this is a permanent position or a temporary one. Sure - we want to know this for new vacancies as well, but it is especially important for replacement vacancies. Why? Because if you are taking over someone's else's workload, you'll need to know if this is forever or if you're only covering for them for a short while. Why?

Because if it is forever, you'll be able to come in and make the process work more efficiently for you and be innovative, but if it is temporary, you'll likely have to do it exactly the way they did until they return. Eventually, they will come back to their own job, and will be anticipating picking up exactly where they left off.

Temporary Employment

This is when your employment will be for a pre-determined and fixed period of employment, and you will be given an end date. Reasons why organizations post for temporary contract positions include:

• maternity leave or short/long term disability leave (including surgical leaves)
• organization is backlogged with work and they need an extra individual to help the team on a short-term basis
• an employee has been pulled to a special project, such as: accreditation, end-of-year auditing or training a new location that just opened up

Side note - please be aware that some organizations will hire a large majority of their employees on a contract basis for the first 3 - 6 months or even the first 12 months then if they are a successful member of the team at the end of that contract, they will be awarded a permanent position. ** Pro Tip - networking during your onboarding process will be crucial because current/past employees will be able to tell you if this is the norm, and everyone goes through this!

Permanent Employment

This is when your employment will have no end date, and you will enter the organization with all of the benefits and perks allotted to all of their employees. ** Pro Tip - ask about the waiting period for benefits and pension during your interview!! Organizations will post permanent replacement positions if the person before you chose to leave because of a:

• new job and/or new company or a promotion with the same company
• return to school or some other type of sabbatical
• decision to become a stay-at-home parent or need to care for another family member
• retirement

On the other hand, the person vacating the position may not have chosen to go, but it was decided for them - i.e. termination, end of contract, or lay-off.

You might not be able to exactly identify which type of replacement vacancy this is during the interview, but you can try by asking the right questions! No, you cannot come right out and say, "So, did you fire the last person in this role or did they quit because they hated the job?" Don't do that! But, you can ask questions like:

1. Will I have the opportunity to receive orientation and training by the individual currently holding this role?
2. How much overlap will I have with my predecessor before they officially leave the organization?
3. What is the expected plan and timetable for the current individual to transition their workload to me?

These types of questions will help you read between the lines if the person is still currently working at this organization or if they are long gone, AND it will help you get some insight into what type of training you will get from your predecessor.

Training The Replacement

The time you get to spend with the person vacating the position to learn directly from them before you take over will boil down to:

• A) How much notice they give, and
• B) How long the organization drags their feet in initiating the recruitment process.

In some instances, there will be minimal time between the official resignation and the hiring of the new employee. This results in next to no overlap between the predecessor and the individual coming into the role. There may be a few days of training, which typically is focused on:

• a basic "This is how we do it" review of a training manual
• overview of company policies / procedures
• passing the torch, i.e. transitioning all files, clients and projects

If you are lucky enough to have a week or two with your predecessor, you should ideally get a dedicated training and thorough exposure into the role before you are on your own. This would be focused on:

• shadowing and observing them in action while simultaneously being taught the policies, procedures, and company expectations
• new employee having the opportunity to complete part of the process with the predecessor completing the bulk of the task (i.e. easing into the full workload)
• new employee handling the process with the predecessor observing so work is monitored and coached, and they can step in as needed

At the end of the day, strong training and onboarding for all new hires is the absolute most effective way that an organization can set a new hire up for success and to ensure they will stay with your company. Employers should do their absolute very best to ensure there is ample time for training so that the new employee can come in strong and learn everything there is to know about the role!

So, there you have it! We have now done a simple and brief overview of how a vacancy can be a replacement; new or new new; and temporary or permanent. I hope you'll join me next time when we start breaking the job search down into its basic parts - the search, the posting, and the application.

Until then, happy job seeking!