Is it time to spring-clean your recruitment?
How much have jobs in your organisation changed over the past 5 years?
Think about it for a minute or two – are your working practices the same as they were 5 years ago? Do you have the same number of people doing the same type of jobs? Are you working with the same customers? And do they behave in the same way they did 5 years ago? Are you still using the same technology?
My guess is that you can think of several aspects of your work that have changed quite significantly. Customers in most market sectors want faster response times, to communicate through a wider range of channels, and for mistakes to be rectified much more quickly than in 2010. The threat of poor publicity via social media is an increasing risk. Technology has moved on and led us to rethink ways of organising work and performing key activities. Competition challenges us to continually improve our performance.
But when did you last review what you are looking for when you recruit new staff? I mean, really, properly review what these new demands on your organisation mean for the type of people you employ.
• Are you looking for people who can plan and prioritise their work effectively? How well do you think those organised individuals are going to be suited to work that has become much more reactive and unpredictable?
• Do you look for team players, but give them work that often involves working away from base, or remotely from home?
• Will staff recruited for their flexibility, initiative and new ideas prosper in an environment where procedures are in place to ensure standardised service provision or production processes?
• Will they ever actually need to use that qualification that is so essential?
As tempting as it might be to drag out the old job description and phone the recruitment agency, perhaps it's time to spring-clean your recruitment requirements.
Are you looking for someone who can do the job the way it was in 2010, or the person who can do the job today, tomorrow, and in 5 years time?
Tagged as: Better HR, Recruitment
Share this post: