| It sounds like the beginning of an
| |
| | simple strategy, but it works.
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| off-colour joke: what is the only
| |
| | Conversely, a shift in philosophy for an
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| industry where the salespeople control
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| | HR manager involves defining talent more
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| the quality of the product they're
| |
| | broadly than recruiters do and to refrain
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| hawking? The answer of course is the
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| | from passing judgment on potential
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| recruitment industry. Yet despite this
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| | employees based strictly on the hard
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| truism, one of Australia's leading
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| | skills (or lack thereof) on their
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| recruiters, author Toby Marshall, is
| |
| | resumes.
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| convinced the sector is fundamentally
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| | "It continues to amaze me: most companies
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| failing employers and jobseekers alike.
| |
| | hire on skill and fire on fit", says Mr.
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| Whether in person or in his new book, Get
| |
| | Marshall. He points out that to locate
|
| great people: Your roadmap to hiring the
| |
| | people with the precise skills to do a
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| best, Mr. Marshall doesn't mince words
| |
| | particular job, hire them, and discover
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| about the industry charged with rounding
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| | that they aren't a good fit for the
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| up willing and able workers for eager
| |
| | culture of the company, and then get rid
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| bosses facing a scarcity of skilled
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| | of them, is a costly and inefficient way
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| labour. For starters, he doesn't believe
| |
| | to operate. Conversely, to hire workers
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| there is a talent scarcity.
| |
| | who are an excellent fit for the company
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| "It's a perceived shortage", says Mr.
| |
| | and who have some of the needed skills
|
| Marshall, the director of Abacus
| |
| | (or skills broadly related to the needed
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| Recruitment Solutions. "People are all
| |
| | skills) and then train them to fill the
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| fishing in the same pond ... People
| |
| | gaps in their knowledge makes much more
|
| believe there is a shortage because
| |
| | sense. Yet companies remain reluctant to
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| recruitment says there is. But you've got
| |
| | do this.
|
| to define talent more broadly. You've got
| |
| | The interviewing process is another area
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| to fish differently from everyone else."
| |
| | that needs a radical shake-up, according
|
| He says the country's current
| |
| | to Mr. Marshall. Usually, the person who
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| unemployment rate of just over five per
| |
| | will be the successful candidate's direct
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| cent is misleading; the percentage of
| |
| | manager along with his or her own direct
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| people who are underemployed (he points
| |
| | manager are the ones who conduct job
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| out that one need only to work 90 minutes
| |
| | interviews. "But what do most job ads
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| a week to be considered employed) is
| |
| | say?" asks Mr. Marshall. "They say 'we
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| around 15 per cent.
| |
| | are looking for a team player'. What does
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| Mr. Marshall also doesn't put much stock
| |
| | that even mean? It usually means we want
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| in what he calls the "non-debate" that is
| |
| | a compliant person who will work their
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| industrial relations reforms - saying
| |
| | ass off for the company." If employers
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| that bosses, workers and politicians all
| |
| | are serious about getting a team player,
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| seem to be missing the point. The issue
| |
| | Mr. Marshall says; why not invite one or
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| isn't just creating jobs and filling
| |
| | more members of the actual team to
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| them. "The real issue is creating jobs
| |
| | participate in the interview? As these
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| people actually want to work in", he
| |
| | people will be working alongside the new
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| says. "People only want a couple of
| |
| | employee, they may be able to provide
|
| things: we want a job where we can feel
| |
| | some insight into whether he or she will
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| useful and feed our kids. Nothing else
| |
| | make a good fit for the team.
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| matters. Everything else is crap." Yet
| |
| | Gen Y not?
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| time and again, Mr. Marshall says,
| |
| | Much has been written about what the
|
| recruiters continue to lose sight of what
| |
| | elusive workers from Generation Y (born
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| matters to workers and what employers
| |
| | after 1977) want in a career, and Mr.
|
| need.
| |
| | Marshall holds strong opinions about what
|
| The root of all evil
| |
| | it takes to recruit and retain this pool
|
| The biggest problem with traditional
| |
| | of talent. He dismisses a recent study
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| recruiters is the vast majority of them
| |
| | that shows Gen Yers are primarily
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| work on strict commission and want 100
| |
| | concerned with how much money they will
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| per cent of their fee paid up front,
| |
| | be making and says they are no more or
|
| regardless if the employees they supply
| |
| | less greedy than anyone else.
|
| are a good fit or end up staying with a
| |
| | "It's hard to pin down anything about
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| company long enough to become profitable.
| |
| | this generation, but if you can say one
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| Mr. Marshall writes in his book that a
| |
| | thing about them it's that they travel in
|
| good recruiter needs to have experience,
| |
| | packs", he says. "They travel in packs
|
| maturity and industry knowledge, and
| |
| | and they want to work in an environment
|
| without these prerequisites their advice
| |
| | that is fun; [essentially] they want to
|
| becomes questionable. Unfortunately, the
| |
| | want to work in a good pack."
|
| driving force behind many recruiters is
| |
| | By taking some of the emphasis away from
|
| not to deliver thoughtful advice on which
| |
| | hard skills and focusing on relationships
|
| candidates are best suited for which
| |
| | between team players, companies will find
|
| roles, but to make a "sale" at any cost.
| |
| | it easier to acquire and hold on to
|
| "If the consultant's earnings are
| |
| | younger workers. Often, Gen Yers turn to
|
| commission-driven it can be difficult to
| |
| | their ever-expanding network of friends,
|
| receive trustworthy advice", Mr. Marshall
| |
| | rather than the newspaper or the web, to
|
| writes. "Over 90 per cent of recruiters
| |
| | get the jump on good jobs. Likewise,
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| are on commission-based remuneration,
| |
| | managers should consider hiring new
|
| which undermines the objectivity of their
| |
| | workers from existing employees' circle
|
| advice. How is your consultant being
| |
| | of friends and acquaintances. There may
|
| paid?"
| |
| | even come a day when companies will be
|
| Mr. Marshall writes that it is crucial to
| |
| | more inclined to hire whole packs of
|
| find a consultant who won't force
| |
| | friends rather than just individuals.
|
| "bodies" or useless ads on bosses who
| |
| | Despite their reputation for
|
| need to hire. Often, many agencies use
| |
| | flip-flopping from job to job, Gen Yers
|
| impressive-looking senior sales people to
| |
| | can master loyalty, says Mr. Marshall, so
|
| sell to a company looking for workers,
| |
| | long as companies are willing to focus on
|
| but then delegate the actual recruiting
| |
| | what's important to them. This means
|
| to a junior staff member with less
| |
| | keeping the job and the work environment
|
| experience and fewer connections.
| |
| | exciting, keeping workers updated on
|
| There is tremendous turnover in the
| |
| | where their careers are going, and paying
|
| recruitment field - the average tenure of
| |
| | them well. Many young workers also look
|
| a new consultant is only between six and
| |
| | for companies that share their values and
|
| 11 months. Mr. Marshall says the reason
| |
| | have a conscience - or at least appear to
|
| why so many leave the industry so soon is
| |
| | have a conscience. "Many of these young
|
| because of the stress of putting sales
| |
| | people are very idealistic", says Mr.
|
| over delivery.
| |
| | Marshall, "even if they themselves do
|
| "Most young recruiters today are young,
| |
| | bugger all about it."
|
| untrained, inexperienced and under
| |
| | Some other helpful hints
|
| pressure", he says. "It's a very bad
| |
| | Whether hiring from Gen Y, Gen X, a
|
| combination."
| |
| | semi-retired Boomer, or someone in
|
| To improve recruiting practices,
| |
| | between, you may find yourself having to
|
| companies need to find consultants who
| |
| | hold your nose and hire a recruiter to
|
| are willing to take their payments over
| |
| | provide you with candidates. If this is
|
| the long haul rather than expect a full
| |
| | the case, Get great people offers a lot
|
| commission up front. Mr. Marshall
| |
| | useful questions to ask recruiters before
|
| suggests a 25/25/50 split: 25 per cent
| |
| | you commission them. They include:
|
| when the recruiter starts working, 25 per
| |
| | • "What salary range is appropriate for
|
| cent when the recruited employee starts
| |
| | this role? A really strong indicator of
|
| working, and 50 per cent after about a
| |
| | whether they know what is going on 'out
|
| three-month period when it's clear the
| |
| | there', in your field. Knowing the salary
|
| employee has become established in the
| |
| | range will also help you define the type
|
| job and a good fit for the company.
| |
| | of person you are seeking.
|
| Unfortunately, most recruiters baulk at
| |
| | • "Can I talk to some of your
|
| the idea of delaying their commission
| |
| | long-standing clients? If you get fobbed
|
| payments over such a long period. The
| |
| | off on this question it is very revealing
|
| trend is to keep the notion of
| |
| | - and a real danger sign.
|
| recruitment divorced from the notion of
| |
| | • "Do you provide the applicant's
|
| retention. In other words, most
| |
| | original resume? This is an important
|
| consultants take the money, fill the job
| |
| | point, as many consultants retype the
|
| and run.
| |
| | resumes before they hand them to you.
|
| An in-sourced solution
| |
| | Why? To standardise the resume and put
|
| Mr. Marshall writes in his book:
| |
| | it on the recruiter's letterhead - it's
|
| "The simple truth is: most people can be
| |
| | branding their company. If they retype,
|
| good employees if they are in the right
| |
| | insist they give you the original resume
|
| job and the right company at the right
| |
| | also. The original will give you useful
|
| stage in their career. Beware the
| |
| | information such as how the applicant
|
| recruitment consultant who tells you
| |
| | writes, how they present on paper, and
|
| otherwise and tries to convince you they
| |
| | perhaps some important negative
|
| have 'great people' on their books."
| |
| | information about them (you will find
|
| One of the main arguments of Get great
| |
| | that the recruiter's standardisation
|
| people is that too often talented workers
| |
| | sometimes loses negatives!)"
|
| end up in the wrong place at the wrong
| |
| | In the end, recruiting good workers is a
|
| time of their careers. How do talented
| |
| | lot like fishing, and if you find you
|
| people end up in the wrong job? Mr.
| |
| | aren't getting many nibbles, perhaps it's
|
| Marshall writes:
| |
| | time to consider pulling up anchor,
|
| • "They focus on money and not other
| |
| | changing your bait, and casting your
|
| important factors
| |
| | line in an entirely different pond.
|
| • "They were pushed into it by a
| |
| | Toby has worked for nearly 20 years in
|
| recruitment consultant who was keen to
| |
| | recruitment. His focus is on creative
|
| 'sell' them to the company regardless of
| |
| | recruitment to solve his client's
|
| fit."
| |
| | employment problems, and on reducing
|
| If companies want to avoid the pitfalls
| |
| | their risk of recruiting the wrong
|
| of traditional recruitment, HR managers
| |
| | employee. His formal studies were in
|
| must realize they have the power to take
| |
| | economics, and he has an MBA from a top
|
| charge of their own hiring - provided
| |
| | 50 international business school.
|
| they cherry pick sensible strategies from
| |
| | In 2005 he published the Amazon best
|
| the recruitment industry and marry them
| |
| | seller, Get Great People - a practical
|
| to a broader philosophy about employment.
| |
| | guide on how to recruit employees and the
|
| For example: one of the mistakes HR
| |
| | whole topic of Recruitment and Selection.
|
| managers often make is buying one-time
| |
| | Toby is an active speaker on the
|
| ads in newspapers or on the web each time
| |
| | international conference circuit. He
|
| a position becomes available. Mr.
| |
| | speaks on Recruitment and Selection; The
|
| Marshall suggests doing what the
| |
| | Changing World of Employment - How to
|
| recruiters do - buying bundles of 10 ads
| |
| | Recruit; and The Great Staff Scarcity
|
| and advertising a position four times. A
| |
| | Myth.
|
