EMPLOYEES ARE “BACK IN CHARGE” – HOW WILL YOUR COMPANY RESPOND?

Recruitment is a game that obviously requires active participation from two parties. Just like many interactions, the balance of power is not always equal.

It can be easy to assume that the recruiter may hold the bulk of the power in this relationship, but is that always the case? A new survey suggests otherwise.

Following years of uncertainty in the job market, there has been a shift in power and employees are now “back in charge”.

InterviewStream, a video interviewing solutions firm catering to the recruitment sector, published the results of its recent 'Talent Acquisition and Technology Benchmark Survey'. While focusing on the impact of technology in modern recruiting processes, the survey highlights some of the biggest challenges HR professionals around the world currently face in the recruitment and selection of candidates.

The findings apply to organisations in practically any sector, and recruiters would be wise to heed some of the most pertinent insights from the survey.

Company branding is crucial in the hiring process

When screening candidate resumes and conducting interviews, a lot of emphasis is placed on the applicant's personal 'brand' and how they present themselves to prospective employers. However, portraying a positive and accurate image of your company to candidates is just as, if not more, important.

This is because conveying a false image of your organisation, its brand and its culture can be devastating to your employee retention efforts. According to the survey, almost a third (31 per cent) of respondents said they have lost employees within their first year on the job because the organisation and the role “didn't live up to the image portrayed during the interview process”.

A December 2013 Hays survey of Australian employees yielded similar findings. In Hays' survey, more than half (54 per cent) of Australian job seekers said they would quit an organisation if it “[failed] to deliver on recruitment or marketing promises”.

“These results highlight the importance of making sure a company's reputation is based on reality, and that this reality is communicated clearly in the recruitment process,” said Nick Deligiannis, managing director of Hays Australia and New Zealand.

“Hollow words have the potential to undermine a business and its brand so it's important that employees can identify with an organisation's values and use them to guide their decision making.”

Portraying a misleading image of your company to prospective candidates, in an attempt to present it in the best light possible, can therefore prove detrimental to your bottom line if you're constantly having to replace departing employees.

Recruiters are increasingly time poor

Anyone working in the recruitment sphere will know it's an incredibly time-poor line of work – and according to InterviewStream's survey, this isn't going to change any time soon.

More than half of respondents said their biggest concern now is the “lack of time to source and screen potential candidates”. The constant pressure of having to meet tight deadlines can certainly impact on the decision-making ability of recruiters.

This finding is in line with a CareerBuilder survey conducted in March 2014, which revealed that only 38 per cent of employers “continuously recruit” despite the ongoing issue of talent shortages. Of those that don't recruit on a regular basis, the main roadblock was time, with 46 per cent of respondents reporting this challenge.

Even with such time pressures on their shoulders, recruiters have to ensure they are making the best hiring decisions possible. So what are some of the solutions on offer?

Using Assessment tools to assist with recruitment success

Recruitment should never be a rush job. However, specialised hiring initiatives such as using psychometric assessments can help make timely, informed decisions.

Taking a holistic look at candidates to delve into their personality and cognitive ability is becoming a bigger priority than ever. In contrast to technical skills and qualifications, personality can be incredibly difficult to measure.

Using personality assessments is one way of gauging how successful a candidate will be in the role.