We are all aware of the importance of recruitment and selection, many of us have gone through the process on a number of occasions as either the potential candidate, or the interviewer, but what do we actually know, and/or understand about the process?
The rationale behind the process is, of course, to select the most appropriate person for a given position, but how is this judged, and what criteria are used to make the final selection? Many of you may feel that the questions are redundant as there are set criteria already in place to measure candidates against, for example qualifications, knowledge and experience. However, the criteria for like positions are not uniform, and therein lies the issue.
Bearing this in mind, after some discussion with colleagues and anecdotal stories, it was easy to see the disparity in the recruitment and selection criteria for similar positions within different organisations. For example, for the role of Project Manager, one organisation wanted someone with little more than a Level 4/5 qualification (non-specified), whereas another organisation insisted on at least a Level 6 in a relevant field, and a management qualification in addition to this.
Overall, you may not think that this disparity is much cause for concern, but for comparable roles, the differences between the knowledge, skills and experience required does suggest some underlying issues, including the undervaluing of some positions and the people who are capable of fulfilling them.
These issues were more apparent when comparing positions from the public and private sectors. Understandably, you may say, but fundamentally is this endemic of the problems facing recruitment and selection? If so, is there a way to combat the potential lack of understanding regarding some positions that managers and HR professionals face? In the simplest of terms, yes, more training around recruitment and selection is paramount, many individuals who take part in the process do not fully understand what is required and needed holistically, in respect of organisational need and the position they are recruiting for.
To take this point further, after discussions with colleagues about interviews they have been part of, as an applicant, it was evident that there was a lack of understanding about recruitment and selection. To illustrate this, we have chosen to highlight 2 questions that were asked during an interview for a mid-level management position, it should be noted at this point, that these questions were not part of a psychological questioning technique, profile or psychometric testing:
- What is your favourite colour?
- What is your favourite food?
You may say to yourself that these questions provide some insight into the candidate, and may also help put a person at ease. You are right, under some circumstances they would, but now consider these questions being asked and answered against the clock in a 3 minute timed speed interview by a manager who does not have the experience, knowledge or skill to conduct a specialist interview where the analysis of answers form part of the selection and recruitment process. It is also worth mentioning at this point, that when the candidate was asked the first question, the interviewer started to argue with them about their choice of colour!
To reiterate, due to the lack of appropriate training, knowledge and implementation of the recruitment and selection process, we are at risk of failing to select the most appropriate person for any given position. It would therefore suggest that this is a direct result of our poor understanding of this function, and in turn about the position we seek to fill. Considering the cost, resources and time involved, it is imperative that we get the recruitment and selection process right in the first instance.