Expert Opinion

Finding the right person to fit your organisation's needs is not always an easy task. Shortages of skilled labour mean that competition for experienced employees is high and potential candidates have a greater choice in the different organisations they can work for. Prior to advertising it is important that any vacancy is clearly identified and a comprehensive description of the role is completed. This will then enable a clearer picture of the skills, knowledge, and personal attributes that will be required of the individual to best fit the role to be identified. Once the position is advertised and candidates have applied for the position(s), a process to determine who appears to be this best fit and how to go about testing and ensuring this should be implemented. After a person has been selected and offered a role it is important that a plan is developed to ensure his/her smooth transition into the role and organisation - this is most effectively undertaken using an orientation or induction programme.

Choosing the right person and following a standardised recruitment and selection process not only benefits your organisation, it also ensures that your new staff member has a smooth transition into their role, retains his/her early 'new-job' motivation, learns about the organisation and its culture, and ensures his/her retention longer term. Planning for recruitment of new employees is therefore important.

The process of recruiting new staff members generally involves tasks such as:

• Determining the profile (e.g. skills, knowledge, and personal attributes) of the person required to fulfil the role;

• Identifying the compensation and benefits that are to be associated with the role;

• Developing a detailed description of the role;

• Determining the correct and most effective search and advertising method (e.g. using a recruitment agency, online facilities, and/or traditional paper advertisements);

• Determining the selection method to be used;

• Examining job applications and CV's and short-listing candidates;

• Interviewing and further short-listing;

• Notifying successful and unsuccessful candidates;

• Developing and implementing a new employee orientation or induction programme.

These tasks are described in more detail below:

Determining the ideal profile of the person required to fulfil the role:
It is vital that the key skills, knowledge, and personal attributes that an individual will require to fulfil a vacant position are clearly identified and defined. These will enable comparisons between candidate applications to be completed and a shortlist of high potential candidates to be obtained. However, it can be difficult to determine what these key skills, knowledge areas, and attributes should be. There are a number of methods that can be used to identify these:

Don Andersson (2001) an author and noted speaker on attracting and retaining executives, highlights the importance of taking personal attitudes and aptitudes into consideration when developing a person specification. He considers that 'knowing the target' is important and states, "one can often be tempted to make a flawed assumption. Just dust off an existing job description, tweak it a little, focus on the needed technical skills - and start looking". He considers that turnover is rarely due to a lack of technical skills and is more a result of the person not fitting the organisation, and, identifying the personal characteristics required for the role and the organisational culture are just as important as identifying technical competencies - "Your new hire must also possess a range of specific interpersonal, team and strategic attitudes and aptitudes to successfully meet your agency's requirements. You've got to take the initiative to clarify all the position specific skills required".

In relation to competencies or criteria for evaluating leaders, Bennis (2003 - Distinguished Professor of Business, University of Southern California), identifies that there appear to be seven:

Other authors have suggested there are 3-4 main broad domains of competencies, with sub-sections of related competencies falling within them e.g.

However you determine the specifications (e.g. skills, knowledge and personal attributes) of the person required to fulfil the role, these should be grouped into common areas under main headings.

• Identify compensation and benefits associated with the role:
  This will include the base salary and any additional incentive payments for meeting of work goals, objectives, and targets and/or any other variables. Also included would be the legal holiday and sick leave entitlements plus any add-ons above the legislated limits that could apply to the position. Additional benefits such as healthcare insurance, life insurance, share purchase schemes, retirement plans, discounts on company products, and the like should be considered. To ensure that compensation and benefit packages are attractive to potential employees periodic reviews and benchmarking should be completed.

• Develop a detailed job/role description:
  A job description is a written document which describes the purpose and the duties and responsibilities of a certain role within your business and the skills, knowledge, and attributes that a successful candidate will need in order to fill it competently. This document describes the work that needs to be completed on a daily basis and also the work that will need to be done as the role and organisation evolves.

There is some debate regarding role or job descriptions and how detailed they should be. Some proponents suggest that these documents should be very meticulous and thorough and outline in detail all the tasks, functions and purposes of the role, as it may be easy to refuse to do work by saying that "the task was never outlined as my responsibility!". In this way it is felt that there is no doubt about the work that is to be completed and that no misunderstandings about the work required can arise. Others feel that the role description should be more general in nature and allow room for personal interpretation. In this way the person undertaking the role can develop it as they see fit (based on their skills, knowledge, and personal attributes) and that flexibility is ensured as the role and workplace changes. As such, the role is not 'locked in' and growth and improvements can occur. Overall, a key point to remember is that a job description will be the reference point for the employee as to what they should do in their new job, therefore it should be clear, concise, and complete.

Common headings and content that are found within job descriptions include:

• Title - This is usually just two or three words that define the organisational role. The title provides an immediate introduction and reference point for the public and can set the tone for all interactions. Reporting lines: This identifies to whom the new employee will report and/or whom they will be responsible for.

• Job Overview - This is a summary of the job. It is generally no more than three to four sentences long and explains the basic nature of the position. Specific detail is not provided as this is given in following sections.

• Duties and Responsibilities - This section provides specific details about the work that is to be completed within the role. It generally includes a list of the key tasks, duties, and responsibilities that the new employee will need to carry on a daily basis and at other regular reference times e.g. monthly, annually. Some flexibility can be allowed for as the person grows within the job and a 'catch all' phrase such as "And other related duties as assigned" could be added to allow some future leeway.
  

• Knowledge, Skills, and Attributes - These are the basic qualities that are essential and/or desirable of the new employee, and include the specifications outlined under point 1 above.
  

• Credentials and Experience - This section provides a list and/or details of the level of education and professional experience that the jobholder should hold. Some degree of flexibility may be required in this section so as not to disqualify potentially good employees who may have additional experience that could counteract for the lack of an educational qualification or requirements. This may not be possible if you are hiring for a highly technical job that requires specific skills.
  

• Special Requirements - Anything that may not have been covered up until this point would be included in this section. For example, if frequent travel may be required, the employee will need to use their own personal vehicle for work activities, or the job includes some evening and weekend hours etc.

After the job description is written it may be advisable to set it aside for a day or two. Coming back to it after a few days may allow revisions to be incorporated that could not have been done at the first sitting. It is also advisable to have it reviewed by another person who is able to offer another perspective e.g. a human resource professional, a co-worker familiar with the jobs responsibilities etc. Software programmes are also available that can provide a template as to the headings and formatting of commonly used job descriptions. A final copy of the job description should be given to the employee and another placed in their personal file once they are employed. Many organisations are also including copies of job descriptions on their Internet job sites for potential candidates to read and print off.

Finding high quality job candidates involves some creativity, planning, and time. Depending on the position required to be filled it can take from a month to a year or more to find the best person for the job. Knowing where to go in your search for the 'ideal employee' is important.

An advertising option that generally first comes to mind is the newspaper, and is a good place to start. In many cities and towns jobs are typically advertised on certain days of the week e.g. Mondays, Wednesdays, Sundays, and potential or actual job searchers purchase these specific copies. In bigger towns and cities specific newspapers are more commonly advertised in and read by job searchers. Increasingly, special 'job search' publications are being developed that focus on job advertising only. It is therefore important to know these specifics for the geographic location you will be advertising in. Newspaper advertising can also be expensive and your add will need to say the most vital pieces of information, potentially, in the smallest space possible - you will therefore need to carefully plan what you want your advertisement to say.

Many organisations choose to work with external recruitment or search agencies to assist them in their recruitment activities. This may result from:

In working with an agency an agreement including a schedule of work should be formalised. This could include identifying the personal qualities that are being sought, the time frame required to find the new employee, and the role of the agency - this may range from undertaking the advertising, short listing, interviewing and testing of candidates, through to completion of only part of the process such as advertising and short-listing.

An increasing number of organisations are using technology to assist their recruitment activities. This includes using their own (or another organisation's) web-site (such as job-posting sites or professional associations) to advertise vacancies, and enable job applications to be submitted on-line. Julie Chyna (2002), Senior Editor of Healthcare Executive notes "Technology-orientated people are inclined to conduct their job searches solely on the Internet.  Therefore posting your available positions on the Web and providing a means for candidates to submit resumes electronically will help you quickly reach the correct audience". Thomas Brice and Marie Waung (2002) writing about the use of the Internet as a recruitment tool cite a study of university students that was described in HRFocus. This study found that students spend an average of four hours on a company's website during their job searching, and use the Internet to search for articles on prospective employers, post resumes to job boards and seek career advice.

The Internet can also be used as a means of communicating to jobseekers. For example it can:

• Signal to both passive and active job searchers that new positions have been advertised by sending an electronically generated message

• Be used as a recruitment and marketing tool to inform people about your organisation and include such things as:

• Messages from the CEO

• Video clips about your company and its products and services

• On-line and downloadable brochures

• Provide prospective employees with a job and organisation preview, and an indication about what life in the organisation might be like so that they can decide whether to apply from a more informed basis. This can include:

• Employee testimonials

• 'Day in the life of' descriptions from employees

• Descriptions of company benefits.

Referrals and personal contacts are also becoming an increasingly common way of recruiting new staff members. This may involve the person who is leaving making a recommendation as to who could fill their position, or requesting that staff, professional associations, and educational institutes 'keep an ear open' for anyone that may be suitable for an upcoming vacancy.