Finding the right candidate to fill a vacancy is becoming increasingly difficult. There has always been ways around the process of recruiting from the standpoint of meritocracy. Organisations that help candidates to get the right job have learned savvy techniques to promote their candidates in today’s online-focused recruitment industry. With CV optimisation techniques including keyword placement in CV’s, it is still the case that ‘understanding how the system works’ allows individuals to use recruitment software to pick them from the pool of candidates actively looking for a new position.
Though candidates are adapting quickly to new methods of recruitment, is the recruitment industry?
Recruitment and Selection Process – What Needs Fixing?
Candidate recruitment processes have not adapted to the increasingly complex demands of hiring in this digital age. Though there are a wide variety of online job boards and professional networking websites bridging the gap between candidates and hiring managers, this isn’t enough to guarantee an efficient and accurate recruitment process.
Identifying the ‘right fit’ between a role and candidate is beset with problems, mainly based on outmoded approaches to the recruitment process that has been firmly embedded on the premise that the past is the best predictor of the future.
AI cannot (at present) understand the nuances of ‘fit’ particularly when looking at organisational culture.
The main issues in recruitment processes are that the job description is often based on an analysis that was done sometime in the past or what is needed today. This can and often does result in quite narrow definitions of what is required in the particular job role. So, why is recruitment approached in this way?
It does seem unusual to focus so much on the past and present in recruitment. Ultimately, it’s done this way to help the recruiters quickly shortlist people that ‘fit’ the requirements. By mainly focusing on academic achievement and past performance – they can narrow down their search quite quickly.
In addition to this, person specifications are not catering to the individual requirements of the role. Every specification seeks the ideal ‘driven, ambitious team player’ which is far too broad and does not identify exactly the specification required to carry out the actual role.
Recruitment Problems – Are CVs an Accurate Representation of a Person?
Increasingly, CVs are becoming tailored specifically to a certain job. With candidates recognising that finding a job is easier if the CV they apply with is tailored exactly to the job description in the advert. The issues with this are that CV’s are not accurately presenting the real person, and showing what else he or she can offer.
It’s easier than ever to seek advice when writing a CV. A candidate can even use a pre-written template from the internet. For hiring managers though, there’s minimal information to work with to allow them to get an accurate snapshot of the candidate behind the CV.
These issues are only relevant today because previously, hiring managers were looking for candidates with certain skills to perform a role that hardly changed over time. Candidates with common sense, a little bit of intelligence and the hard working attitude needed to progress in the organisation are no longer the norm. Recruiters are looking for specific skills and competencies.
As jobs are constantly changing, candidates need to evolve quickly to meet the complex demands of the present day and tomorrow.
With research showing that we will have multiple careers in the future, the way in which we approach the recruitment process should reflect this and consider a person’s potential to develop with the company as it grows. Currently, a CV simply shows us a snapshot of progression in one career. But if an individual was to change careers, have little to no professional experience, or be returning to work from a long-term absence – how can we accurately judge their future performance?
Workplace Culture in Recruitment
In recognising the benefits of creating a diverse workforce, businesses now also understand the role culture plays in employee engagement. In fact, 88% of employees recognise a link between workplace culture and business success.
More than ever job role specifications are now focused on this, with culture and team values becoming centre-stage from the first part of candidate consideration and selection. This isn’t the only advantage, however, as it’s suggested that companies with a good reputation can cut their cost per hire in half if they are able to identify the candidate with the right ‘fit’.
So, how can we future-proof our recruitment processes?
Future of Recruitment
No longer can job descriptions be vague and rely on the phrase ‘and other duties as required’. As it’s these duties which can often occupy the candidates time when in the role so it is only fair that an accurate and fair representation of the role is given as part of the recruitment process.
Increasingly, companies aren’t going to top academic institutions in search of candidate talent and instead are realising the importance of fostering a diverse workforce. Recognising that this type of workforce is fundamental to generating the ideas needed to develop and grow the organisation into the future, hiring departments are looking elsewhere to find these candidates.
The recruitment industry is also moving away from focusing only on past performance as outlined in CVs. Companies are recognising the benefits of understanding more about the person, their individual aspirations and desires for the future.
Future Resume – A new recruitment tool
We know that the process of recruiting is both an art and a science…in other words there are aspects of a candidate that can and cannot be measured. The issues we have just outlined mean that the algorithms in the computer software used to identify the best candidates only identify those who are fit for yesterday or today’s needs. They cannot predict what will be needed in the future.
Designed to be used either in addition to a CV or instead of, a candidate’s Future Resume moves away from one-dimensional CVs that focus only on the past, or present skills and competencies and gives hiring managers instead, a document with a three-dimensional understanding of a candidate’s values, talents and future aspirations to help them recognise how someone may benefit the business not just now but in the future.
By giving a more accurate and rounded representation of someone, it becomes easier to see who would be best to fill the role. A Future Resume takes into account not just academic and previous career successes, but also understanding something more about candidates motivations and personal development targets to determine whether they are a good fit for your team.