If you are not very careful in the recruitment process, you will end up recruiting people who do not fit well in your organisation. It is useless thereafter to try to force wrong new staff to fit into the organisation culture. The wrong people tend to come into the organisation because of recruitment being carried on the basis of ‘technical know who’. The candidates who are known by the people who matter in the organisation are selected for the job. The best candidates can only be got if the recruitment process is based on ‘technical know-how’ as the best qualified for the job end up being selected.
Lack of job description and specification
It is extremely difficult to recruit a right person if the organisation does not have latest job descriptions and specifications. Job specification detailing the knowledge, skills, education, experience, and abilities a candidate requires to perform in a particular position and the job description defines the duties and requirements of the job in detail form the basis for the recruitment process. These two documents should never be overlooked.
Evaluation criteria
The candidates should be assessed using the evaluation formal criteria based on the job specification and description. The evaluation criteria must be in place before the interview process starts to avoid introducing too much subjectivity.
Interview process
The interview process should be given adequate time to enable the interviewers appreciate the suitability of the individual candidates for the position. I have come to a conclusion that one face to face interview is not enough to reveal the right candidates. The interview process should include face to face interview, written interview, presentation by the candidates and group discussion among others.
Vetting of candidates
Many organisations are reluctant to carry out formal vetting and pre-employment checks resulting in selecting candidates with dubious background. The vetting is aimed at checking the candidate background with the aim of finding out if candidate has been involved in illegal and other activities which raises doubt as to his or her suitability of the position.
Lack of induction training
It is also important for the new staff to be formally inducted into the organisation through a formal induction programme. The new staff should appreciate the culture and values of the organisation. They should also appreciate how the organisation values its staff. The first few months matters a lot to new staff as it is during this period when they carry an evaluation of their decision to join the company. It is also during this period when new staff tend to leave for other organisations or go back to the former employers.
Author
John Muhaise Bikalemesa
Director: Big Drum Advisory Services Limited
john.muhaise@bigrumassociates.com
