IN many organisations where there is no dedicated human resources staff, it is often up to line or senior management to manage the recruitment process. If you elect to recruit your own staff without agency or executive search firm involvement, you need to be aware of the process which can be time consuming.
Firstly, you will need to devise your recruitment/search strategy, conduct research, write advertisements, be prepared to read and assess numerous CVs, phone screen, conduct interviews and reference checks.
When sourcing candidates, there are more options available than just relying on advertising on online job boards and in the newspaper. Because of significant skill shortages in many sectors, your sourcing strategies should include contacting sources within industry groups/associations, outplacement companies and career co-ordinators within business schools, TAFEs or universities. Give consideration to sponsoring skilled migrants which can be accessed via migration consultants or from the skilled matching database at www.immi.gov.au.
Also, give thought to recruiting outside of your industry in roles where upskilling is an option, or in senior management positions where often the most important criteria can be driving a business forward, developing strategic relationships and strong leadership ability.
There are four essential areas that you should ascertain in any interview situation.
1. Does this candidate have the necessary knowledge and skills to successfully fulfil the role?
2. Will they fit the existing culture/team and provide a future fit?
3. Will they become an asset and provide ROI?
4. Do they have the right work ethic and attitude, and how best can they be successfully managed?
Questions to ask
Before interviewing candidates, ensure that you prepare. Record questions that you intend to ask all candidates before the interview to ensure continuity in assessments. There are many types of interview questions, but most are likely to fall into one of the following categories:
Behavioural: These questions require a specific example of how candidates have managed past situations. This is essential to ascertain candidate’s ability to handle circumstances that may be critical to fulfilling positions requirements. Examples of behavioural questions as follows :
• Describe a circumstance where you had to deal with a critical OH&S issue. What was the outcome?
• Please outline a situation where you were asked to meet customer requirements within a short timeframe. Walk me through the steps of what you did, how you did it and the final result.
• Describe a past situation in which you were required to analyse and solve a complex problem. What facts, information or data did you consider to solve the problem and what was the outcome?
• Tell me about a time where you had to deal with a number of significant projects at once? How did you manage the situation and what was the outcome?
Behavioural interviewing techniques are generally the best way to gather information relevant to assessing candidate suitability and is the most widely used interview method. Behavioural questions explore the situation/task, actions that were taken and then the outcome or result.
Open ended questions: Generally begin with words like “what” or “why” and may have extensive or involved answers. An example may be “What is the primary value you feel you can bring to the organisation”.
Case or Hypothetical: These questions challenge candidates problem-solving skills spontaneously and “what would you do if faced with this scenario". For example, “You receive a phone call from a customer who is extremely irate and abusive because an order has not arrived, and is three days late. How would you handle this situation?”.
Rationale: Explores how and why candidates are attracted and are suitable for a certain role. A suitable question might be, “What is it about this position that most interests you”.
Closed questions: Usually produces “Yes” or “No” answers such as “Have you used AutoCad 2005 Software previously?” or “did you have a sales component in your past roles”. Limit your closed questions as they do not promote conversation around actuals or achievements.
A better line of questioning would be: “Did you have a sales component your past roles? Outline how you performed this part of the role and how was your success measure. “Did you meet your targets or expectations?” This question is now a Behavioural question.
Questions not to ask
When you are conducting an interview it is important that limits questions to those that address candidate’s competency, skills, experience and relevant knowledge for the position.
You should never ask about a candidate’s age, political views, marital status or how many children they might have. According to State and Federal law it is unlawful to discrimate based on areas such as sex, disability, marital status, sexual preference, political views, religion, race, parent or carer status, age, physical features, pregnancy, or industrial activity.
Instead of asking: “There will be significant interstate travel involved in this position. Are you able to fulfil these requirements given you have children to care for?”
Replace with: “There will be significant interstate travel involved in this position. Have your past roles involved travel, and are you currently able to fulfil this part of the position?”
Ensure that you record this information during the interview. For more information regarding discrimination issues go to the HREOC website www.humanrights.gov.au.
*Cindy Welsh is Human Capital Manager with AMTIL, 03 9800 3666.