Showing posts with label RECRUITMENT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label RECRUITMENT. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

GAP IN APPLICANT’S EMPLOYMENT – SHOULD YOU FOCUS ON IT NEGATIVELY?

My answer is a big “NO”. Why? Because something good might have happened during the gap period. He/She may have experience a milestone in her life where she has to stop working for a while and give time to a certain happening. Probably, she got married and needed to take care of her husband’s needs. A time to deserve her married life. Or it might be that she needed to take care of her old mother. A time to pay back and express her love and care of her old parents. A time of joy and a time of sorrow – yet both entails LOVE. If you will dig on it deeper, both experiences will make him/her a mature and better individual. Both will make her strong and nurturing. Both will make him/her a good leader – happy and humane.

Some applicants do have a long gap period of employment. But have you asked her what did she do during this break? Having the gap period in employment does not always mean incompetence. In fact, some people use it in upgrading their knowledge. With the advent of new technologies, being out of work is not anymore a reason to stop learning and remain extinct. Online magazines and newspapers have left printed ones out of fashion.

Being at work the whole period does not always mean that an individual is learning or in trend with the current practices in ones field of work. There is even a higher chance for the unemployed person to continue learning and upgrading his/her craft.

With the rise of blogs and google, unemployed person has a better chance of getting updated information as long as he/she uses internet at home. A better alternative in order to add value in ones career.


So should you say “NO” to an applicant with a big gap in employment? 

Saturday, July 20, 2013

RECRUITMENT TIPS

RECRUITMENT TIPS

Architects and Engineers are only two of the hardest to fill-in jobs in the country. Most of these professionals prefer going abroad basically because of higher perks they would receive in another country. It has always been a challenge to get employed as a Talent Acquisition or Recruitment Officer of this kind of industries. It is in these specialized industries that ones resourcefulness in finding the most fit candidates gets tested and proven.
Aside from being totally resourceful, strong selling and negotiation skills  are also a factor. Recruiting for the company is like selling its good image and the opportunities it may offer to the candidate. Learning the art of building relationships which start with being more open in communication and being friendly makes the company the employer of their choice, sometimes.
With the abundance of job engines, networks and tools , it makes the job of the recruiter easier. But it depends on how effectively the recruiter uses it. The recruiter should have the mentality of a hunter. Meaning to say, to be a hunter is not just to simply log in - on jobstreet.com or monster.com and keep on searching ‘till noon. The recruiter does not stay passive , he/she should be active in head hunting.  A recruiter is someone who calls, uses social media to contact the possible candidate, and builds a network among the applicants in order to find the most qualified one. A good recruiter does not only search for applicants the whole day but to look at how these candidates could fit into the organization even though there is no available position at the moment is more valuable.
A Recruitment Officer/Manager could catch more bees with honey than they can with vinegar. In other words, to attract more applicants, even for a very hard to fill-in positions, one must be approachable and personable. Answer phone calls and inquiries as much as you can, contact them via E-mails, or let them follow-up the status of their application and most important of all,give an honest answer and feedback. That is always a consistent rule, do not give false hopes but answer in a very polite manner with whole honesty. No one goes astray with being honest and sincere.



SUGGESTED RECRUITMENT TOOLS

  • Employee Referral Program – This is one of the best HR Practices wherein existing employees can refer their former colleagues, friends and classmates for the vacant post. When the referred candidate becomes regularized, then the one who referred will get a Referral Reward or an allowance. In some companies, they give a 10,000 reward for the most hard to fill-in post; then 8,000 to the next; 5,000 and so on. It is very important that a course plan of actions is built before its implementation in order to set the doable direction .Let’s say, is there any budget for the reward? What are the guidelines and mechanics? It is necessary to understand how the team operates and then, plan accordingly.
  • Extend the Referral Program to external sources such as your networks, buddies, seminar classmates, etc. Have an unlimited sources to have a variety of applicants to choose from. Give them rewards, too.
  • Put a notice on the information board so that the whole organization could know the latest vacancies.
  • Pull manpower from other companies in the same industry. Pirating is the term for it. This practice is unethical for some but that’s the trend now especially when it comes to scarcity of resources. 

Friday, July 12, 2013

JOB OFFER LETTER - NECESSARY OR NOT?

An offer letter is being given after a candidate has passed all the pre-employment screening processes. The job will be offered and it’s up to the candidate if he would accept it or not. Salary details, position title and agreed date of joining is reflected in the said offer letter.


Let it be clear per se that an offer letter is different from an appointment or contract of employment. As already mentioned, an offer letter is given to the candidate after the interview and selection and then, should the candidate accepts the offer, he would be provided with a contract/agreement or an appointment with all the entitlements and company basic rules therein.

Issuing an offer letter is very important as it gives confidence on the job confirmation. It may stop the candidate from applying to another company once he already accepted the job offer. However, there are instances when candidates retract what has already been accepted.

The answer to the question on whether it is necessary to issue an offer letter to the selected candidate or not, is YES, it is. Although not that really obvious, with the issuance of the offer letter, trust is its payoff. With such written confirmation, the candidate will not be ready to submit his resignation to his present employer, in case, he is currently employed.


Nobody has the confidence to accept an offer in a verbal way, hence, the need for a written job offer. However, it should be prepared with utmost care as the same data on salary, Position Title and other information will reflect in Employment Contract or Appointment.

SAMPLE JOB OFFER LETTER

Dear Mr. / Ms. .............,


It is with great pleasure to offer you the position of _____________, for which you have been selected after a thorough recruitment and selection process.
This job, as explained to you, is in the Salary Level ______ of our company. The compensation and other benefits that you would be entitled to are stated in the attachment of this letter. We request you to go through the same and return the enclosed duplicate copy of this offer letter in acceptance of the same.

Accordingly, we will arrange to issue to you a detailed letter of appointment on the date of your joining us, which we agreed between us will be any day on or before ________. ( Date of joining )

We look forward to having you in our team.

Congratulations and Welcome to  ______________! ( Name of Company )



Tuesday, July 9, 2013

EFFECTIVE INTERVIEW TECHNIQUES

EFFECTIVE INTERVIEW PROCESS
Recruitment often starts from ad posting, resume gathering, resume screening, then followed by the interview and testing.
Most of the time testing alone does not give the whole view of the applicant’s qualification hence the need to interview. However, oftentimes interviews were not done seriously but done only for the sake of formality. That should not be. Interviews are an essential part of the selection process.

WHAT TO CONSIDER BEFORE THE INTERVIEW
Some well-established HR Department has their own Recruitment planning prior to posting the job ads. Such planning is equally important before doing an interview. In recruitment planning, following are considered: job specification of the vacant position; how much manpower is needed to fill up the position; a ranking of the most important qualities, characteristics, skills and education that a successful candidate should possess.

HOW SHOULD WE INTERVIEW?
A talented interviewer tends to get or draw more information from the candidate through a sharp and intellectual probing. Listening skills is not to be taken for granted, too. Once an interviewer listens carefully from what the candidate is saying, he/she may be able to prepare the next question in mind.
A great interviewer should be able to extract extremely predictive and accurate data from the candidates. ( In case , you have forgotten what to draw from them – go back to your recruitment planning – what is it that you want for the candidate to have  in order to perform the job effectively? )

INTERVIEWING TECHNIQUES
Below are the skillful techniques in interviewing:
·         Behavior – centered –It is about what he did , said and thought after a certain work relate incident; about what he felt or simply about the candidate , himself or herself.
·         Experience – centered – concentrates on what actually happened. How did he/she performed his job in the last employment.

PHASES OF AN INTERVIEW
1.       First Phase – Putting the candidate at ease or building up a rapport with the candidate. This is an important phase in order to move the interview into a free-flowing mode.
2.       Second Phase – involves a brief introduction about the company and the position.
3.       Third Phase – is the chance to know more about the candidate; the time to ask a make or break questions coupled with follow-up probing to dig more about the candidates. In this phase, which is more focus, the interviewer could get the chance to know the suitability of the candidate for the position.
4.       The Final Phase – this phase closes the interview. It’s now time to let the candidate ask their questions. The chance for them to verbalize their internal inquiries .


These are just a few of the techniques in interviewing. It works and it’s worth practicing. 

Thursday, June 27, 2013

EMPLOYEE ON PROBATIONARY STATUS – WAS FOUND OUT LATER TO HAVE COMMITTED A GRIEVIOUS OFFENSE IN HIS PAST EMPLOYMENT

Karen is a part of a new company as an HR Supervisor . The recruitment process which she has seen in this new company is not that stern or strict. Currently, she is in the process of evaluating all processes and competencies of employees across all departments. She checked out  the personnel file of each and came  across one of the current employees'  file and there she found out that he had occupied a very high position from his previous company. This was actually based from the result of his background investigation. What surprised her most is what she had found out:  Said employee had a case of embezzlement of funds from his previous employer. Karen has no idea if it is a resolved or unresolved case. What she is more concern about is the effect of this case to his present company and another thing, can this person be trusted?

Question :  Can this case from his previous company enough grounds to terminate his employment from his present employer being that he is still under a probationary status?
Answer :         As what we have discussed in the previous posts about discipline and termination, there should always be a due process in every case therein.
                                As for this one, the HR Supervisor has to conduct a thorough investigation first before taking an action. Look at the employee’s filled-up application (when he was still applying for the job ) and if she answered the portion “Do you have any pending case or have you committed  a serious / grave offense in your past employments? “ .  If the concerned employee did not declare that he has pending administrative case from his past employments or his former company, then that could be an issue of dishonesty. Then, it is time now to check it on your Employee handbook if such offense is a ground for terminating him.
                                Although the employee is still on his probationary status, you have to secure some proof before giving him a verdict of termination . If you don't prove the accusation as dishonesty, another way to prove if he is worthy to become a regular employee is by appraising his performance objectively.

                                Karen as the HR Supervisor is right in her action to evaluate all the HR Processes. In this case, the Recruitment process. Since the result of the background investigation already posed some issues, then , they should have not considered the said employee . Remember, that all processes involved matters.

Saturday, June 22, 2013

HR and Line Managers Must Work Together

HR and Line Managers Must Work Together

Line Managers are the Heads of the Departments or the one who manages the staff in a department. It is important that they work hand in hand with the HR Department for the achievement of the vision / mission of the organization. Both must work together to ensure the success of the company they are working with. It will be easier for the HR Department to implement the strategic plans if all managers understands this new trend in leading an organization.

HR must show full support to the Line Managers in order to expect the latters awareness of their responsibility to implement HR policies and procedures among their staff.

Recruitment

In the recruitment process for example, HR must inform the Line Managers about the prevailing processes and the accompanying forms to be used in fulfilling their manpower needs. In this procedure, the recruitment system will surely become smooth flowing and fast moving. From the filling-in of the Personnel Requisition Form up to the Selection Process, Line Managers and HR are often seen in the limelight. Hence, both parties are involved in the most critical process of choosing the right candidate for the vacant position.

Performance Management

Fair and the same approach must be applied by both HR and Line Managers when doing the Performance Evaluation most especially in giving feedbacks to the employee concerned. You can imagine the chaos it may produce if HR gives a different opinion about the result of the Performance rating given by the superior or most especially the Line Managers themselves. HR must provide a training program that would intend to educate the Line Managers on how to effectively and consistently implement the Performance Management System.

Conflict Resolution

You cannot get away with this. In every Organization there is a conflict or a dispute that needed to be resolved immediately. Hence, the importance of having a positive relationship between HR and Line Managers. If both parties are in good harmony then immediate resolution of the prevailing conflicts within the organization could be achieved.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

RECRUITMENT TOOLS FOR OFFLINE RECRUITMENT


     RECRUITMENT TOOLS
     OFFLINE RECRUITMENT
                
             1.                SOURCE :      Skill Banks for Internal Employees      
                        TOOLS    :      Conduct Employee Survey - Skills Inventory       
                        STRATEGY :  Make the vacancy for each team open to all interested and qualified     
                        internal employees; just need to set specific guidelines on promotion

             2.                SOURCE    : Leaf let job ads
                        TOOLS    :    leaflets/flyers including company profit
                        STRATEGY :  malls/lrt/mrt stations/PUBLIC PLACES

             3.        SOURCE    : Encouraging Employee Referrals
           TOOLS    :    wall posters with list of job vacancies; leaflets; announcement through audio    
                                  system; letters to each employee
           STRATEGY :  need to know first the status of employee morale/BUILD IT UP

4.        SOURCE    :  Public Employment Service Offices (nationwide)
           TOOLS       : letters to PESO Directors/ job vacancy list/company profile
           STRATEGY :  coordinate with different PESO Offices nationwide/ join their job fairs  

5.        SOURCE  : Headhunters
           TOOLS     : RECRUITMENT AGENCIES/ HEADHUNTERS
           STRATEGY : will pay at least 13% of the annual renumeration of the chosen candidate

6.                SOURCE  : CONVENTIONS

         TOOLS     : GET TO KNOW DIFFERENT ASSOCIATIONS AND RELATED       
                             CONVENTIONS
           STRATEGY : SPONSOR A BOOTH AND GIVE OUT LEAFLETS AND CALLING 
                               Cards

7.        SOURCE  : Schools/Universities
         TOOLS     : Coordinate with the Placement offices
          STRATEGY : Get acquainted with the Placement Officers and get their con

8.               SOURCE  : CHURCH JOB POSTINGS
         TOOLS     : Coordinate with the Church secretaries and Associations
         STRATEGY : Get contacts

9.        SOURCE  : JOB POSTINGS ON NON-GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATIONS  AND   
                               CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (Different Chapters) and ask for referrals       
           TOOLS     : Coordinate with the members and Officers
           STRATEGY : Know their events- sponsor and participate

10.       SOURCE  : Sponsoring a Grand Alumni Association Reunion
        TOOLS     : Coordinate with the Internal Employees who are members and Officers
        STRATEGY : Get contacts and sponsor their events

11.      SOURCE  : Outbid the competitors
        TOOLS     : Review current benefit and compensation package
        STRATEGY : Adjust benefits; give flexible working hours

12.      SOURCE  : Train the Internal Employees
       TOOLS     : Strengthened Training Programs
       STRATEGY : Assign trainors; identify employees with potential

13.      SOURCE  : Open House
       TOOLS     : Organize this event; announce and advertise
       STRATEGY : Assign each team for an exhibit; have an open booth for receiving   
                            resume/applications