The secret to securing critical skill sets

Written by Celia Jones, Director of Recruitment Services

The importance of adhering to a well-planned recruitment process is more important than ever when trying to secure critical skill sets in today’s candidate short market. 

A good recruitment process starts with a comprehensive client briefing session where all the requirements of the role are documented and recorded and agreed to with the hiring manager’s input. This information will form the basis of the advertising campaign, the candidate briefing document, screening and interviewing questions and the reference checking process.

It is important to clarify the conditions of the role, the location and salary, while also outlining the career benefits for a candidate to make the decision to resign from their current position, move and commit to the role.  We call this ‘selling the sizzle’.  Beyond this, it is important to make very clear to candidates, who are often managing their own careers, what the position will offer their future career. The more professional the recruitment process the more likely the candidate is to consider making the move. 

Organisations of course, play a very important role in the recruitment process. While recruiters identify and recommend qualified candidates, it is the organisation who must make the decision on whom to hire. There are several responsibilities that an organisation needs to drive, to ensure the best candidates are made available. These include: 

• To provide the recruiter with the appropriate access to HR and/or hiring managers

• To inform the recruiter clearly about matters relevant to the assignment that the organisation wishes to keep confidential

• To provide timely feedback to the recruiter regarding the information and recommendations provided by the recruiter

• To schedule interviews promptly with qualified candidates and to provide timely feedback to the recruiter regarding each interview

• To provide the recruiter with information regarding candidates that have been identified from other sources that you may want us to evaluate as part of this search

• To assist in providing the appropriate information to candidates that will enable them to make their career decisions.

After delivering a Skills Enhancement workshop with the Brisbane City Council, the largest council in Australia, with over 4 million candidates at its doorstep, it was interesting to note that there are similarities across the state in attracting the right candidates to council roles.

With many stakeholders involved in appointing candidates, it is important to keep some pace in the process.  This is often a difficult undertaking for time poor executives and busy recruiters and HR teams as there is always a challenge when it comes to booking meetings into diaries.  A tip here is to agree on timeframes for the process and make diary commitments ahead of time. 

At Peak Services, we encourage the hiring managers to work with recruiters to ensure there is time availability in advance to discuss the various steps in the process from the initial job briefing, to drafting the advertisements and then discussing shortlists and interviews.

Another important step in the process is making sure the employment contract is ready in advance of offering a preferred candidate. A preferred candidate will not resign from their current position until this is signed and delivered, so any delay at this final stage may see a competing employer putting forward an offer in a timelier manner - which the candidate may consider as the ‘bird in the hand’. Once signed up, a candidate has usually committed, and it will be hard for them to change their mind and they will view a timely written offer as being the sign of a professional organisation.

There are many steps involved in a professional recruitment process. If you use a reputable recruiter, you can ensure that you’ll get the most out of the process. Even with a detailed recruitment process, time is of the essence when seeking the right candidate and staying competitive in the current ‘employee market’. Adhering to the process and setting relatively tight timeframes will provide you with the tools to successfully secure the critical skills you need in an employee.

For further information on Recruitment and Organisation development services, please do not hesitate contact either Celia Jones (0409 119 561) or Rona Horsfall (0438 943 854) from Peak Recruitment Services