100% Recruitment. Ильгиз Валинуров

made a cool meeting room, hanging messages of thanks from the mayor and the president on the walls, along with diplomas and certificates. Candidates were led into the room and left along for a couple of minutes. During this time, what would the candidate do? Read them all carefully, of course. The recruiter was received quite differently as a result.

      The walls in your own home can help too.

      Do you have a dedicated meeting room? No? Then demand one. It is your tool. As well as a place to calmly make notes and reason upon what you have seen and heard.

      Organize the space in the meeting room with a single shared table for you and the candidate to sit around. This is important. A meeting on a soft couch cannot be considered an interview.

      Up to 50 % of all HR managers hold interviews «under the palm tree». This is a big no-no.

      Sometimes, a company might have a meeting room but recruiters are the last in line to use one, or they might be asked to leave it during the interview itself. This is a matter of building a relationship with the management, as we will discuss further into this book.

      Vacancy portrait

      So, the sales director runs to the HR manager and cries out:

      «I need candidates for sales manager! It's urgent!»

      «What kind of sales manager?»

      «One with fire in their eyes! What do you mean, don't you know what kind of sales manager we need?»

      Does that sound familiar?

      If we run off looking for candidates with a brief like that, we might only find one on accident. The techniques we use for candidate search and selection would make no difference whatsoever. A few glasses of whisky can put fire in your eyes, but you can't pour a glass for everyone. So it's the sales director that needs to sober up, and it's the recruiter that has to help him do so.

      What does «fire in their eyes» actually mean?

      Straight off the bat, this isn't enough information, and secondly it's not something you can quantify. Thirdly, it would certainly be useful if they could do something, aside from having fire in their eyes of course.

      Therefore, the job description should be compiled after a detailed discussion during which the HR manager takes on the role of critic. For example, the sales director might say:

      «They must have a degree from Moscow State University!»

      «Why Moscow State?»

      «Intellectuals study there».

      «So we need an intellectual sales manager but only if they have a degree from Moscow State?»

      «Well, I guess if they're an intellectual then that's sufficient».

      «The Institute of Noblewomen also produces perfectly intellectual maidens. So we can accept candidates that have graduated from other uni's, right?»

      «You're right, we can».

      And so on and so forth, with every different parameter. You need to approach these requirements with a critical eye and weed out anything that's over the top.

      We'll discuss the job description later, in the chapter entitled «Searching for Candidates».

      Planning and approval of the selection procedure

Lets start with an example Of what not to do

      The owner of an IT company from another town got in touch with me. He needed to find a HR director. When I asked him what his requirements were, he told me that his finance director would fill me in when he arrived in Moscow.

      The finance director arrived in Moscow. We met and began discussions, at which point we immediately switched to discussion of the strategic tasks facing their business, how the company planned to grow and what personnel they would require further down the line. He didn't even mention their requirements for this role, saying nothing about their motivation, education, gender or age.

      After our discussion, it took me precisely three minutes to put five resumes in front of him. As I was already aware, all the candidates were satisfied with their proposed level of remuneration, had the necessary experience and were absolutely ready to come to an interview. The finance director also liked the candidates.

      I got in touch with each of the candidates that very same day, and they confirmed their interest. This happened in April. The first meetings with the employers took place in mid-May after the holidays, while the follow-up took place in June and July. The vacancy was only filled at the end of August. My job took me five minutes (and 15 years of industry experience), while the employer needed five months to thrash out the finer points of the role. It is your responsibility to plan out and to approve the selection procedure. The general manager went on holiday, the commercial director's wife had a baby and then the finance director fell sick. Then as soon as they got back, the candidate goes to America for a training course… But none of this should affect the process.

      So, we devise the selection procedure.

      All procedures should be recorded on paper in as much detail as possible. No amount of charisma, enthusiasm or a proactive attitude will enable you to control the meetings to suit yourself, the candidate and the company. It can only be regulated by a document, something your company must have. What should the document contain? First and foremost, a timeframe. For example, the recruiter that is holding the interview must provide the manager responsible with information on the candidate no later than two hours after the interview. This means that if you're searching for a sales manager then the head of the sales department should be holding a copy of the candidate's resume along with your notes within two hours of the interview (provided, of course, that the candidate is suitable for your organization).

      In turn, the head of sales must determine no later than the following day whether or not they intend to meet with the candidate, and provide a rationale for their decision. It only takes a minute to look through a resume and any member of management can find time for this, regardless of how busy they are. This means that within 24 hours of an interview, you will know whether or not you will be moving forward in the selection process with the candidate.

      Unfortunately, it sometimes doesn't work out like this. For a few days in a row, the recruiter asks whether the manager responsible has had a chance to review the resume. «Yes I have», comes the response. «And what do you think?». «I haven't decided yet».

      This should not happen. You need an answer within a day, a yes or a no.

      What if you're an external personnel manager, working for a recruitment agency, and your client isn't interested in following your instructions?

      Of course, you couldn't write this in the contract, this is not just a whim but rather a matter of establishing proper communication. You can make a special internal policy document which will not be a part of the contract but will show the serious approach you take to your work.

      «So you want to close the vacancy, and yesterday if possible? Do I understand correctly therefore that in this case you're prepared to meet regularly and provide swift feedback? In order to achieve this, we have developed specific standards. Is this acceptable for you?» This will allow you to enlist the necessary support from the client. You can't force the client to follow your regulations, but you can undoubtedly show how important they are and how they help to get the job done.

      If a vacancy needs to be closed and closed yesterday, then the writing is on the wall: the employer will certainly not find the time to meet with you during the coming week. Therefore, after the head of sales has told you that «Yes, I'm ready to meet».

      it is essential to have the meeting organized within 48 hours. This is an acceptable time-frame. They must find at least 30 minutes for an introductory meeting within two days. The recruiter must participate in this meeting, to understand which questions have been asked, what the right answers are and it is essential to discuss the candidate immediately after the interview and to layout the next steps, for example, to arrange an interview with other members of management. Make a record of all your discussions!

Example

      On one occasion, Business Connection was searching for a branch