How to Recruit Best candidates

By Professor Maimunah Aminuddin, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam

Hiring a new employee is no longer a simple task. It has become an important process that we have to be careful with. For when we hire, we expect the hiree to contribute to the growth of the organization.
So, where do we start?

Hiring an employee is easy. Hiring the right person for a specific vacancy is exceedingly difficult. Consultants often approach small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and promise to provide them with a foolproof method of recruiting staff. Some of these consultants may also recommend that the process of sourcing new hires is best conducted by experts in this field, namely themselves.

Undoubtedly, some parts of the recruitment process can be outsourced. Nevertheless, an employer should always be sufficiently familiar with the steps to be taken to hire a new employee so that he does not
have to rely on any external party for assistance. Employers should be aware that there are no known recruitment and selection methods which can guarantee successful hires every time, all the time. However, if a thorough and systematic recruitment and selection procedure is followed, the chances of hiring the right person are immeasurably increased.

The Price of a Bad Decision

Most employers can relate horror stories about employees who, during a selection interview seemed to be entirely suitable, but subsequently turned out to be a total disaster. The costs associated with removing an unsuitable employee, both direct and indirect are high. Even where a new employee has been placed on probation, once his contract is terminated he may claim that he has been dismissed without just
cause or excuse. Dealing with this claim involves time and money. Worse still, if the employee is unhappy about his termination, he may spread harmful rumours about the employer or even take various actions designed to sabotage the employer’s business.

Once an unsuitable employee has been removed from the payroll, effort – time and money – will again have to be expended to find a new recruit. Because of the high cost of looking for a new employee (already a headache in itself and made worse if extensive training of the recruit is necessary) many employers put up with employees who are under performing. Unfortunately, ignoring problematic employees only leads to more suffering. Their colleagues get annoyed when problems caused by the poor performer are dumped in their laps. Supervisors may also spend inordinate amounts of time trying to upgrade the under performer. Some employers get so frustrated with under achievers or employees who do not fit into the work group that they institute various actions in the hope that the employee concerned will resign. Sadly, such efforts are more likely to cause the employee to walk off the job and claim constructive dismissal.

Thus, given the problems which arise when a bad hiring decision is made, employers should take due care when employing staff.

Know Who and What You Want

Most employers would not dream of buying an expensive piece of machinery without first clarifying the specifications required. Similarly, before beginning the search for applicants to fill a vacancy, a thorough analysis should be made of what sort of person would be most suitable. This step is not as simple as it sounds. An employer needs to take into consideration the immediate requirements, as well as future changes, to the job. While it may be impossible to determine precisely how and when a job may be expected to change in the future, some forecasting should be attempted. Some jobs hardly change over time. For example, although audio-visual aids and computer facilities are constantly improving, the work of a university lecturer today is basically the same today as it was 30-40 years ago. In other jobs, however, change is rapid and relentless.

There are several useful ways of categorizing job requirements. At the very least, decide upon the essential educational qualifications, if any; the length and type of work experience needed, if any; and the key personality characteristics and competencies relevant to the job. Be realistic. The longer the
list of requirements, the more difficult it will be to find a suitable applicant that can fulfill all of the requirements.

Spread the Word

Where are you going to find suitable applicants to fill a vacant position? You can and should place details of the vacancy on your web site, but you will also need to place an advertisement with one of the popular on-line recruitment agents. Ask your existing staff to recommend people with the right qualifications and
attributes for the job. Contact local colleges on a regular basis. Find out from these schools who is able to recommend good graduating students and speak to these people personally. Use the services of a recruitment agent to find you some candidates or even do some head-hunting yourself. Whenever you meet people in your industry who seem capable and are well respected in their fields, get their business cards. When a vacancy arises which suits their abilities, contact them and see if they are interested in a
preliminary exploratory discussion, with no commitment required from either party.

Select with Care

Selection methods have changed little over the years. The basic principle of selection is that once you know what you want, applicants can be assessed to see whether they match the pre-decided selection criteria. We do not live in a perfect world, so it may not be possible to find a perfect match but your selection methods should assist you to determine whether an applicant has the minimum requirements for the job.

Apart from conducting an interview where the applicant should be asked questions about his past work history, selection tests play a useful role. If you have decided that particular skills are needed for the job, set up a test to see the applicants in action. To take a simple example – Let’s say that the job for which
you are recruiting involves writing letters to suppliers or customers overseas. Thus, the jobholder must have reasonable written language skills. He does not have to write like William Shakespeare but he does have to make himself understood. Further, you may feel that letters sent overseas to your customers reflect the image of the firm. The test of the applicant’s ability will involve asking him to draft a reply to a typical letter of inquiry from a potential customer.

Apart from interviewing and testing job applicants, wherever possible conduct some background checks. If there is anything suspicious about the applicant, check him or her out thoroughly before offering employment.

Employ on a Trial Basis

No matter how carefully you follow the suggestions for recruiting the right person outlined above, it is still possible that you have hired a misfit. It is imperative therefore that you place the new recruit on probation and that you manage the employee appropriately throughout the probationary period.

In medieval times people used a simple method to determine whether a woman was a witch. They would throw her in a lake. If she floated, it was considered obvious that she had unnatural powers and was a witch. She would then be put to death. If she drowned, there was no need to make any further conclusions. Many employers use a similar strategy with new employees. They throw the recruit into a job and see what happens. If the employee is struggling to learn the job and is not able to perform satisfactorily, the employer decides to terminate the contract. If the employee survives the first few months and is able to perform reasonably, he will be retained and confirmed in his position.

Unfortunately, in this day and age, such haphazard treatment of employees is not acceptable. A new recruit must be properly oriented, monitored throughout his probationary period, given appropriate training, coaching and, when necessary, counseling, so that he can learn and perform his work satisfactorily; thus ensuring a win-win situation for the employer and the employee. As soon as it is recognized that the employee is having difficulties with any aspects of the job, remedial steps, which are properly documented, should be instituted.

A formal, written performance appraisal by the employee’s supervisor is essential before deciding whether to confirm or terminate the services of a probationer.

Welcome the Recruit

Everybody is nervous when they begin a new job. Some people are good actors and are able to hide their feelings but their anxiety may, nevertheless, impact their ability to work. An employer, having spent time and effort recruiting a new employee, should also focus on welcoming the new member of staff. Although it is generally easier for people to adjust to new surroundings when the firm is relatively small, some assistance to settle in will still be appreciated.

An orientation programme should always provide, at the minimum, an understanding of the background and
business of the firm, a briefing on the role of the new employee and where he fits into the overall hierarchy, as well as an introduction to the expectations and work culture. Orientation of the new recruit should be specifically assigned to his supervisor or a colleague. A simple checklist may be helpful to ensure that all relevant topics are covered. Hold a welcoming party so that the new hire can meet his colleagues in an informal setting.

It is not possible to guarantee that a recruitment and selection exercise will always be successful, but if a systematic procedure, such as that outlined above, is followed, the chances of finding the right person are greatly improved. It is said that good marriages are made in heaven. This may be so, but, without a
doubt, the matching up of an employer and an employee requires due care, sensible decision-making and, perhaps, a little bit of luck.

Professor Maimunah Aminuddin teaches employment law and human resource management in the Faculty of Business Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam. She has written more than 10 books on topics relating to industrial relations and human resource management, including Industrial Relations and Employment Law (4th edn. McGraw Hill, 2003), Best HR Practices: A Guide for Human Resource Practitioners (LexisNexis) and Malaysian Employment Law Practices: A Guide for Human Resource Practitioners (LexisNexis).

Maimunah advises employers on matters relating to employment law. She also conducts training, both in-house and public, on topics relating to disciplinary systems and industrial relations.

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