The relationship of recruiters to corporate HR functions can be one of conflicting notions about the importance of various details in the recruiting campaign. In large companies where there are sufficient resources to assign specialty functions to different people there must be an air of cooperation and coordination to keep the hiring process from becoming stuck in a bottleneck. In smaller companies the entire process may be completed by one or two people, but each of the functional touch points are still essential to keeping things on track. Even if recruiting is performed as a function of a single HR Generalist the division of tasks into its essential parts cannot be ignored. All of the elements of the hiring process need to be in alignment and work together to put the puzzle pieces together. A recruiter must have a reasonable expectation that all stakeholders are wearing the same uniform. Others with vested interest in the outcome must have an expectation that the recruiter will comply with policy that is for the good of the company.
- Recruiter – One of the most frustrating of all situations is to be faced with the mounds of bureaucracy that stands in the way of hiring someone in a timely manner. Working with the expectations of candidates and hiring managers needs to also include the rest of HR or there is a risk of losing the best candidate to a competitor. Some organizations place such emphasis on strict compliance to rules on process that it can give an external impression of not caring, too rigid to be productive, or the worst case scenario of being totally clueless. There are reasons for process, but unplugging bottlenecks must be the rule of thumb before blindly following any rules. Courage in the face of fire doesn’t mean disobeying the rules. Managing the expectations of all parties to the hire means highlighting areas that need to be expedited and squeaking until the grease is applied. If this gets you in trouble, you probably don’t want to work there anyway.
- Employee Relations – Most organizations have an HR Partner or Generalist that is responsible for day-to-day management of the company’s talent programs. It is absolutely essential that the likely candidate for hire not only fits into the hierarchy of the proposed group, but also that the expectations of both the group and the individual are not miles apart. Cultural fit is a delicate issue because only hiring clones will stifle diversity of thinking. Determining the fit of the candidate means not only that the new talent is a fit for the current opening, but also that there is a fit for future growth. Broadcasting the expectation of future potential to all concerned is a key factor for evaluating performance of the new hire, the department, and the company. It is also important for recruiters and hiring managers to keep these HR practitioners aware of how the group dynamics would change with this hire.
- Compensation and Job Evaluation – A clearly established compensation philosophy for the company must be embraced by senior management. This policy must be applied and executed with every hire. While the best of the best may require a bit of flexibility to fit the new hire into the organization, there should be an expectation by all concerned that the process has been carefully crafted to prevent dead end jobs or salary compression at lower levels. A bit of flexibility is also required to shrink or stretch standard job descriptions to fit actual standards of performance. The process needs to be nimble enough to allow bending without breaking. Organizations that impose a compensation review before allowing any salary offer to go forward should seriously consider firing all the recruiters since obviously they can’t be trusted… or fire the policy writers that see the rigidity resulting in hiring delays as a good thing. Expect and demand excellence… nothing less.
- Administrative Crew – The most important link in the hiring chain are those unsung heroes performing the administrative tasks necessary to onboard new hires. Everything they touch is critical to the impression that new employees will have of the company. From human resources technicians to department administrative assistants, all will in some way touch the lives of a new hire. Although contact may be brief or intermittent, there needs to be a conduit of information between all other parties involved in a new hire. Checklists and application of procedural processes is only a mechanical thing. The hiring process must be personal. This requires dedicated and caring people to make it happen. There is an expectation that onboarding will be flawless on the part of so many, but the execution of that process is usually handled some of the brightest but lowest paid contributors in the company. Expect them to expect recognition for their good work!
Misunderstandings and process errors are never the result of sabotage or malicious actions on anybody’s part. They are also seldom the result of incompetence or lack of caring on the part of the staff. The usual failure is due to missed communication caused by the failure to manage expectations. How much simpler would the world be if the crystal ball of stark expectations became the norm.
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