Despite every growing business needing good people, surveys show that many senior appointments just don’t work out.
Is it time to bring new talent into the senior management team? But are you unsure how to begin the process? If so, you are not alone. Many otherwise well-managed companies make mistakes when they embark on recruiting senior people.
There comes a time with every business when you have to bring in someone from outside. You may need a talented IT guy, or an experienced finance director, but what’s important is finding the right person to fit the role. Companies tend to spend copious amounts of money on professionals to find these people, but this is not necessarily the right route to take.
Getting a key recruitment decision wrong, however, could even cost you the company. Evidence suggests that the possibility of a major recruitment error is higher than you might think. Research carried out in the UK indicates that more than a third of managers have, at some point in their career, found themselves in a job that is unsuitable. They would then leave after an average of six months, maybe forced to due to performing significantly below expectations or by voluntary resignation.
Some newly recruited managers chose to sit tight in a job that is not working out, without their employer being aware of the problem and soon it may be too late to recover the situation. Another cost is that of a professional head hunter as well as the cost to the company that the vacant position poses. Consequently, companies waste considerable time and money when appointments fail, but who is to blame?
It is tempting to lay the blame on the specialist recruitment consultancies that earn a living through filling management posts with professional recruiting services. The three basic types of recruitment consultant are: the head hunter, selection and contingency agencies. The first can also be called an executive head hunter or management recruiter, completing a search for the company to fill a specific role at the top salary levels. Selection draws up a short list of candidates from the responses they receive from an advert in the national newspaper. In contrast, the contingency agencies operate at much lower levels, putting people’s CVs forward to companies. The visible expense lies in executive search and the cost of advertising. These agencies can make significant mistakes but sometimes the companies in question only have themselves to blame for failed appointments.
Smaller companies saving money by using a contingency agency to recruit senior managers is often a bad idea. Whether you chose a marketing head hunter or a sales executive search firm, more than a short list of candidates should be provided. The client should also be advised on how to best integrate the new recruit into the enterprise. What smaller companies tend to do is ignore the needs of the new appointee. Most ineffective is the company founder’s attitude; they are often adamant that because they built the company from nothing, everyone should appreciate that, even if being poorly paid. In addition, getting along with the boss is inevitably crucial to the appointment’s success.
Time pressures can also be attributed to failed recruitment decisions. You should not settle for an unsuitable candidate simply because they were the best you could find at the time; the needs of the job must be thoroughly considered. Employers tend to neglect to state their expectations. They often keep ideas to themselves rather than laying out exactly what they want to achieve, say achieving x within three months. Employers need to consider whether the newcomer shares the company values and generally fits in to the team. Experts state that the success of the recruitment process ultimately rests on personal relationships and compatibility with the company culture. A thorough assessment is required through meetings.
When an appointment fails, however, it may be because the behaviour of current employees has prevented the new appointee from fitting in. Another common mistake is to assume that the new recruit is totally in the know and should not be challenged; not likely to be the case.
Concluding pointers- ways to improve recruitment and induction processes:
- Introduce the candidate to as many prospective colleagues as possible.
- Concentrate on the new recruit getting to know their boss as this is the area where most problems can occur.
- Avoid appointing the best candidate you could find at the time.
- Ensure a clear job description and clear objectives are outlined for the new recruit.
- Involve regular reviews and feedback to ensure objectives are achieved; support the appointee with the necessary information and resources.
- Ensure the appointee is familiar with the company culture.
- Encourage the new recruit to develop their career through external as well as internal training.
|
