Replacement, Recruitment, and Selection: Is it time to rejuvenate the plan?

Replacement, Recruitment, and Selection: Is it time to rejuvenate the plan

Panic sets in when a valued employee quits or retires

The first rule of thumb is not to panic. Whether the departing individual made a valued employee or an average performer, now is your time to analyze and reorganize his/her job description, predetermine the qualifications, both behavioral factors and technical skills that you expect from a new employee.

Recruitment and selection of new hires don’t have to be a dreaded task. Maybe the position needs a face-lift, and this is the time to do it.

Identify the need while evaluating the vacancy

Could this time be used to reclassify, reorganize, or incorporate current changes? Maybe even modify the job description making the new hire more responsible and accountable for task other employees acquired.

Once you are confident the job description speaks clearly of the responsibility of the open position, reevaluate the requirements you seek in a new hire. What skills will the individual need to perform to carry out their employee duties?

Take this time to evaluate past employees that performed the job and decide what behaviors the new employee should display. Talk with the departing employee’s co-workers on what qualities the new hire should embrace to perform his/her duties successfully.

Check employee records, were they a stellar employee, if so, what traits awarded this evaluation? If they were an average employee, define their weaknesses for improving job expectations. Investing time in narrowing down what you expect from a new hire can make all the difference in making a wise or poor employment decision.

Implement a recruitment plan

Each position needs an implemented recruitment plan in place that is accepted by the orchestrated administration.

A carefully composed recruitment plan reveals the strategy intended for attracting and employing the best candidate for a position while ensuring any interested applicants including veterans, women, minorities and those with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Aside from the replacement of an employee, the recruitment plan maps out the advertisement strategy recommendations to reach recruitment goals. Typically, the Human Resource Manager/Coordinator, along with the hiring manager, develop the recruitment plan.

With smaller businesses, it is easy to get trapped in recruiting employees who fit less with the required qualities and skills and more into the culture and friendship pool.

Overall employee morale will change dramatically when a vacancy within a department goes to a less qualified employee passing over a highly-qualified employee. “The buddy system” is a reference often used in this situation.

Sections of the recruitment plan should outline explicit details for awarding the successful candidate with the vacancy. It is important that the job requirements and competencies expected, as well as the interests and attitude needed to assist with the individual succeeding in the position is well outlined.

Having this section in the plan outlining these details of the requirements assist in keeping the interviewer on track when considering several candidates. Use this criteria for a checklist to stay focused when monitoring who is the better-qualified applicant.

Should I use an external search or strictly internal?

There are benefits associated with implementing an internal search for qualified candidates before announcing job openings through public advertisements.

Notify employees of all job openings within the company and have the announcement sent through the employee directory email or other means of company communication.

Make the decision in advance as to whether the position will open to the public regardless of what talent is employed internally or if you will cease taking applications and interviews if the best-qualified candidate is employed internally.

Early planning of the interaction of the external and internal searches will help narrow down the top qualified candidate.

Interviews and testing

A hiring plan should express who will be conducting interviews, such as the hiring manager, Human Resource and possibly the business owner, before a potential candidate’s hiring.

It is important to discuss all points each interviewer has that differs from the others to find the candidates weaknesses and strengths. Each interviewer will note various concerns that should be considered to determine if all parties can agree on the applicant meeting the requirements or if one interviewer has more concerns over the others.

Weigh the strengths and weaknesses until all parties agree when making final selections of potential candidates.

Once potential candidates are narrowed down to those the hiring manager and Human Resource are serious about, implement aptitude and skills testing. Applying these two test to your final phase of employing a new hire will assist in narrowing down your selection process.

An applicant can interview well and have an impressive resume but fail to align with the needed skills for the job. Testing should be given by HR and reviewed periodically to ensure it coagulates with the skills required for the job.

Are Background and Reference Checks Necessary?

Conducting Background Checks can be expensive, however, an expense well worth executing. Hiring a new individual is a risky situation no matter what the position.

There are brilliant criminals that work their way into management positions or a position that carries duties of handling corporate funds. The best phase to conduct backgrounds checks is before offering a candidate the job.

The purpose of performing reference checks is to gain information about the potential new hire’s current and past work performance, skills, and abilities. The best way to predict an employee’s future success is to consider his/hers past behavior.

It is recommended to obtain references from past and current supervisors who can offer insight to the candidate’s performance. A hiring error is costly in money, energy, and time.

Making the offer to the Chosen Candidate

Once proper protocol determines who the best-qualified individual is for the the job, it is now time to offer the position to the candidate that proved to be the best overall choice.

Before making the offer, it is suggested to conduct one last check following these guidelines:

  • Review the responsibilities and duties of the position to ensure details were accurately reflected and described in the interview process as well as the job description.
  • Examine the outlines used in the selection criteria to ensure proper protocol determined the final selection of candidates.
  • Review interviewing and testing results to confirm questions matched the criteria for the position.
  • Examine and approve the treatment of all applicants were uniformly throughout the recruitment, interviewing and selection process.

Conclusion

Upon the offering and acceptance of the job, the remaining requirements are the responsibility of Human Resources. It is necessary that all proper documents are signed by all parties prior to the new employees start date.

Coordination with HR and managers on training and scheduling is the last step in the recruitment and hiring of a new employee.

Hansica Kh.