Recruitment Strategy

One of my corporate clients has pointed out to me that my posts seem to be favouring the knowledge needs of the Consulting Firms.!

Having examined my last half a dozen posts ....i am convinced that ....."he is right" :-(

So having sworn to make some amends ...i am launching a grandiose project on "Recruitment Strategy"

Over the next weeks ...i would like to elicit from all and sundry your ideas on this subject. I have also tagged a small survey next door for you to fill on the same subject - do go thru it...

along with the same i shall be writing my tidbits on the same...

This week ...let me address a fundamental question ....What is Recruitment Strategy?

well strategy is this really hep sounding word ...often confused with Annual Plan, Annual Forecast ....etc ....
Strategy ...if I am to peruse some B - School strategy texts......is the process of achieving organisational objectives by leveraging a series of niche advantages/ capabilities that the Organisation possesses.

For e.g if Company A wishes to recruit 100 C/C++ candidates at the entry level. And if Company A has the niche advantage of being the best paymaster, it will achieve this objective by paying the best in class compensation.
Compensation is the strategic advantage that Company A possesses.

Companies have to continuously work on creating strategic advantages. There are of course many means by which this is done. For e.g. influencing the environment and making internal processes efficient are some e.gs.. of the same...

So Recruitment Strategy is the process of achieving one's Recruitment objectives by leveraging the company's niche strength or advantage.

Strategy is the journey to achieving a company's stated goal - in this case its Recruitment objectives

For e.g if Company B has a Recruitment Objective of recruiting fresh BA candidates ....then Company B would leverage the management trainee system that it is well known for to train and then finally select the right candidate. So that is a strategic process that Company B uses since the Management Trainee program of Company B is considered as top class and a huge source of attraction for young candidates who wish to obtain the best possible training .....

More on managing clients

More on rules on managing clients....

2. The client lacks functional knowledge of the search mandate:
This is increasingly a reality in corporate India. The sheer variety and complexity of roles that exist has rendered the Hiring function incapable of understanding all the functional aspects of the open positions.

So on one hand the Hiring Manager will not accept this inadequacy and on the other the Recruitment Firm flounders due to ignorance.

Accusing the Hiring Manager of incompetence is definitely suicidal....but taking the blame for the failure to fill a position is also unfair.

A mid path which is win win for all is the have an open and transparent conversation with the hiring manager.
Confess: "we do not understand this mandate" can you suggest means by which we can go forward. If you still do not get further info ....then "SUGGEST"
I have seen Recruitment firms suggest that they would like to talk to the Line Manager. And then onwards they neatly side step the Hiring Manager without hurting the latter's ego.

It is also win win since the headache of explaining the search mandate becomes some one else's . The Line Manager who most of the time is the person putting the blame on the Hiring Manager gets to understand the hurdles that exist in attracting the right candidate.

Do Home work: Also as a consultant it is useful to do a Google cum Wikipedia search or speak to candidates who do similar jobs and bring that all for the discussion with the Line Manager - it will definitely take the latter's respect for the consultant a couple of notches higher.