Making the final decision in the Recruitment Process

What you need to be aware of

After an elaborate process of sorting through applications, you finally have a list of individuals that you would consider to hire for your company. Congratulations! However, the final decision of the recruitment process is the most intricate and complex. Even if all your shortlisted candidates have excellent resumes and have scored well in the interviews: there are still a few obscure warning flags which you must consider:

Bias

While recruitment traits define a good recruiter to be familiar with the job requirements and company policies, one thing which recruitment traits do not cover is psychology. During the course of the interview the recruiters judge the candidates’ potential and decide whether or not they are the perfect hire. However, psychology in recruitment proves a bias that is unconscious and involuntary. The interviewer is impressed by similarities between the candidate and them self, and this ‘oh you’re just like me’ approach leads them into a different perspective of the actual personality of the candidate. In fact, this ‘like me’ thought process is a technically established bias, referred to as ‘Mirroring Effect’ or the ‘Similarity Complex’.  Psychology in recruitment is an enigmatic concept; thus, before taking the final decision it is prudent to invite the most suitable candidate to another interview, to be carried out by a recruiter of a different background and nature from the previous one.

The References

References and recommendations are provided by the candidate in their resume, and are usually people they have worked or studied under. However, as these were picked by the candidates themselves, it is always likely that these references are given by people who are biased towards the candidate. It is, unfortunately, very easy to ‘buy’ recommendations. Therefore, before taking the final decision, go deeper into the references. Contact a previous work place and hold an informal interview with people who were working with the candidate in consideration. If you can use your connections see if you can find someone who knows them.

Perhaps use LinkedIn and see what degree of connection you have with a person. The internet is open to everyone and what a person posts is public access. Use it in the recruitment process to clarify references, work experience and suitability to the role and business, although beware of discrimination and use the information objectively.

Recruitment and Fair Work

Review your employment contract and pay offer before you decide to present it to your selected hire. Compliance to the Fair Work Act before deciding to hire a potential candidate is an often overlooked stop sign. The recruiters are typically trained to elaborate the statements of the contract, but few are actually familiar with the fine print of the Fair Work Act. Offering the candidate a salary, which is below the accepted variables or with holding rights which the candidate is entitled to receive is leaving yourself wide open to fines. Not only will an informed candidate reject your proposal, your company may be running the risk of being dragged into a legal suit and also have the business name tarnished.

This is where having a specialist Human Resource team behind you in the recruitment process really puts you ahead of others. There are so many grey areas when it comes to the obligations that employers have, award interruption can be complex and often mis-read. 

Demonstration

The candidate has sailed through the interview with flying colours; but perhaps, they are not as good as they look on paper. With a huge array of tricks up their sleeve, fraudulent candidates are prepared for every question you put to them and have complete paperwork. However, what they lack is the actual skill, potential and ability which they claim they have.  Thus, before getting the contract signed, invite the candidate to a demonstration.

For technical positions, conduct a small test of the level which the candidate is expected to perform on. Ideally, they could be asked to execute a task a current employee is performing. This will also give an insight of how well the potential candidate fits into the established employee fabric and company work culture. A potential new supervisor or manager may be presented with a crisis situation on site, and be critically observed as they attempt to assume their new position.  Holding a demonstration ensures you are actually hiring the candidate you had initially selected, based on their CV.

We have used this strategy successfully across many of our recruitment contracts. It always surprises me what people who apply for positions think they can get away with. An example is an account role where the candidates needed high levels of MYOB experience. We tested 5 candidates and only 1 had the actual knowledge that their resume suggested and that they advised in the interview process. Testing saved an underperforming and inexperienced candidate getting the role. 

Best part is we do all the work – saving your valuable time.