Finding the right staff

The recruitment market is changing post recession. Vacancies are increasing month on month and recruiters are reporting increased placement volume but the level of unemployment is still rising. This suggests there is a gap between the skills available among job seekers and the skills needed by employers.  However, many employers are still making the same old mistakes.  Here are some examples:

1. Hiring reactively. Sometimes there is panic and a feeling of having to quickly fill a position to replace someone who has just left, causing steps to be skipped and possible dangers to be neglected.
2. Expecting to find the twin. Amanda was great, so we need another Amanda. Unfortunately, we aren't cloning humans yet.
3. Unrealistic expectations. The job description was created for James Bond.
4. Poor interview questions. The interviewer fails to probe into specific examples.
5. Taking the CV at face value. Beware of accepting a resume uncritically. People don't tend to shout out about their failures.
6. Relying on references. No one lists anyone but positive references. Even if they did, most are unwilling to reveal the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Good People is supporting more employers to introduce extra steps in to the hiring process, with more interviews and extra tests and checks.  Employers have learned that in today's more fiercely competitive jobs market, they need to make better decisions.  In particular, more importance is being placed on the cultural fit between the candidate and the client company.  To assist with this, Good People operates a series of assessments that cover:

• Personality and behaviour
• Aptitude and ability
• Secretarial, PC skills, literacy and numeracy
• Emotional Intelligence

And as personal branding gains prominence with the increased use of LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, we are also finding that it pays to research candidates more through social media and by running a Facebook or Google search on them.
It's all part of the plan to recognise strengths and reinforce interest and cultural fit at every stage.  After all, we want our clients to have staff that will maximise their opportunities that share their own motivation and passion.