If you haven’t compared Temp or Permanent Recruitment Agencies recently, you might notice a few things have changed.

The internet has disrupted the business model for Employment Agencies.  The value offering to businesses has also changed.

A recruitment activity that might have been of value to you 10 years ago, is now much easier for you to do yourself.  In fact it might even be free and quite possibly you’re able to get a better result…maybe. And that’s why we’ve developed a new model here

It’s important to break down the activities and then confirm where the value is, if any.

Scope

If you’re replacing an existing role, you’ll already have a good idea of what you are looking for.  Ideally you will have a Position Description which includes Key Performance Indicators and the actual skill sets / experience you require, as well as the “nice to haves”.  If your considering Hiring Permanent or Temporary staff your organisation is likely to be going through some changes.  It’s really helpful to highlight some of the specific behaviours you’d like to see in the successful candidate.  This may be managing in an ambiguous environment, or alternatively delivering in a highly structured environment.  Providing this in the scope ensures you’ll be able to attract the candidates that are looking for the right challenge.  The Scope is the foundation for all of the conversations that follow, so it is important to get right.

So if you have all this set up, your good to go to the next step.  Otherwise you can contact the team at IQ People and we can help specifically with creating the right Position Description or Job Description for your team.  If you’re going to DIY, keep in mind some notes from this HBR article Job Descriptions and the Experience Needed Syndrome.

 Search

Relates to assessing the method of advertising or connecting with candidates who exhibit a mutual attraction with your organisation. 

This area is considered to have experienced the most change in recent years.  If your organisation has an active and popular Social Media strategy, you’re in the best position to attract like minded candidates.  If you’re clear on your brand values and can articulate the meaning behind the work, it’s important that you are including this in your Talent Pool acquisition.  Today Candidates will often find you through a good use of LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+ and other social feeds.  If you’re able to identify skilled Candidates who would like to work with you, why would you pay an Agency for Search.

That being said not everybody has had to opportunity to mature their Social Media campaigns.  In this event an Agency certainly is the next best option.  IQ People work with clients who have mature Social Media and are new to it.  This means we reduce our fees significantly, if you already have a catchment of Candidates you’re considering.  Alternatively we can discuss Search and Promotion campaigns that either promote your brand, or keep anonymity.  You’re in the drivers seat.

Selection

OK, so this guy delivered great results at his last gig with that big corporate in the city.  In difficult times he got that place profitable again….why then has he created so much disruption and angst since we hired him in our office?  If you’re interested in the reasons, check out Henry Mintzbergs recent book on Managing.  In a nutshell, the skills, behaviours required to achieve a result in one office may be different in another office, simply because the forces or challenges are different.  So we can see that the Search for a candidate is really different from the Selection.

Selecting Candidates, and getting it right first time, does require expertise.   You can find a list of Behavioural Questions and ask them.  But the Behavioural Question is just the Opening, and subsequent probing while sustaining a natural empathy is critical to really discovering an individuals motivations, preferences and style.  From time to time further tests are recommended (but not always) and knowing when and what Psychometric Assessments to apply can make a real difference.  Keep in mind not all Candidates are Job Seeking Professionals, and unless you’re suffering significant churn, your Employees are unlikely to to be Job Hiring Professionals.  Remove the uncertainty and remove the distraction.  Hire an expert for Selection.

Validation

An honest validation is critical.  But not all referees want to provide the full and uncensored truth. Certainly there are Privacy and Legal criteria to observe as well.  So when the conversation is light with limited detail, and the answers are ambiguous, are you comfortable in challenging for more information?  And how do you challenge in a polite and safe and respectful manner?  It can sometimes be an anxious time for Candidate and Referee, and it’s uncomfortable to revisit the Referee with new questions.  If you’ve worked with a Hiring Agent from the beginning through to the Validation, you’re likely to get better value from the Reference.It’s good to have candidates who don’t tick all of your boxes, this presents challenge in the role.  So what gaps represent challenge and growth, and what gaps are unacceptable? The Referee should be able to validate concerns and identify tips for leading the successful employee.  This is useful…hire an expert for Validation

 

 

How to Pick an Agency

When you know what you can do, and what you need to outsource you’re in a better position to find the right agency.  Recruitment is an industry that has been impacted by the Internet more than most.  So the business models are different.  Today irrelevant candidates apply in high volumes, because it’s easy to click send.  Today Employers place their own ads up because it’s easy.

Both of these activities have changed the nature of Job Seeking and Employee Hiring.  You need to work with an Agency that understands how these changes impact your industry.

This means flexibility in their business terms to deliver on what you believe is of value.

It also means working with Agencies that have grown with the internet and developed on line tools that help channel irrelevant resumes to allow focus on the right candidates

And of course it means Agencies that have been able to retain Consultants with more than 10 years experience in leading and hiring people.  After all People is what it is all about.

For Temporary and Permanent Office Roles in Melbourne’s Eastern Suburbs call 0418 429 731 tell them Tony sent you.