The Official Blog of Benifys HR Solutions

One position, multiple applicants – but still one of them has to be and will be selected, what gives? To complicate things further some of them might even have the same educational qualification and experience, what’s the deciding factor? Selecting the younger of the two is what happens at the Universities, not necessarily at the workplace. The interviewer will not feel compelled to hire you only because you look good on paper, in fact Cavett Robert estimated that 85% of the reason you get a job, keep that job, & move ahead in that job has to do with your people skills & people knowledge.

We went ahead and asked some seasoned recruiters the one thing that candidates do which completely ruin their chances of making it, listed below are the most common answers in no particular order:

1. Being defensive – Some people seem to be engaged in an ever lasting battle in defending their point of view, or their career choices and amongst other things. There are a few things to be considered here – (1) An interviewer might be testing you for how flexible you are, (2) You might actually have made some mistakes, but you don’t want to admit them, (3) You are the sort of person who starts their argument based on a defense, e.g. “Although I wanted to be in the healthcare industry, but I wasn’t good enough for it”. Either of these ways, you’ve set the alarms ringing in the mind of the recruiter.
2. Complaining a lot – Traffic was bad, it’s always too hot or too cold, the office is not anything like what you expected, the pervious employer exploited you, they had the wrong business plan, you’re sure the future employers will too… these are the kind of things that an interviewer does not want to hear from a candidate. Think of an interview as a one hour job where you have to be at your best behavior and highlight the positive aspects of your personality, go easy on the complaining. Nobody wants to hear it.
3. Narrating scripted answers – This might be acceptable to some extent for students right out of college, but as a seasoned professional you are expected to talk about your careers so far and the way ahead in an ‘as it is’ manner and not as you think the recruiter wants to hear it. Stephen Paul says “When you give up your own truth to win at someone else’s game, everyone loses”.
4. Being arrogant – This actually happened with a recruiter – A candidate for an IT position came in for an interview on time and well dressed and the whole drill… score? Sure. He had good credentials and a consistent employment record… win? Absolutely. Now, as part of standard selection procedure, he was asked to take a half hour written technical assessment when he realized he didn’t have a pen on him. He asked the recruiter for a pen and was quick to show his impatience when the recruiter too couldn’t find one. And that was the moment of truth in the interview, no points for guessing the outcome.

Love him or hate him, he is arguably one of the most popular fictional characters of recent times; fans swear by his ‘awesomeness’ and go hysterical about the ‘legendary’ tricks he pulls off on the show (no wonder – Neil Patrick Harris is a magician by profession!). Barney Stinson from How I Met Your Mother is a character with an extremely sharp wit coupled with shades of sarcasm thrown in for good measure. Alright, let’s not get too carried away now, for those who have seen the show know what we are talking about!

So you might wonder why a Human Resource organization would post a video from a popular TV show and talk about it, well the video in question is called “Barney Stinson’s Video Resume”.  And if nothing else – it is an extremely good example of personal brand management, the video has over 55,000 views on YouTube, and some other similar videos from the same show have over 600,000 views! This is digital marketing at its best…

And if that wasn’t all, there are takeaways, here’s what Barney has to say about success:

• First thing that you need to know about success is that is doesn’t just come to you.
• Most people associate success with money and power, but really it’s a state of mind.
• When it comes to success, the only limit is that there are no limits.

Now, who wouldn’t hire a candidate like that?

1. Trustworthy – If you cannot make someone trust you, you can be sure that when the time comes, they will make their own path instead of following the one that you laid. As a manager, you just cannot afford that; trust building is necessary not just for managing people, but also while dealing with suppliers, clients and even your own superiors. Trust makes the business world go round.
2. Punctual – What is the best way to show someone that you value their time? The only effective way is to start valuing your own, being five minutes late in a job interview can cost a candidate a potentially good job, in the business context – a five minute delay could be interpreted into any number of things – a loss of opportunity, lack of credibility, lack of commitment, a lopsided attitude. If you’re punctual, you send out a clear message that you are on top of things and not overwhelmed by them.
3. Detail oriented – It is good if you can see the ‘big picture’, but if you don’t have the details, it is just that, a really big picture of nothing in particular, pictures cannot run a business but you can. You might be a Manager who thinks that it is just impossible to be focused on details when you have so many things to manage – but ask yourself in all honesty, is it because you are proud of meeting deadlines and are always in a rush to just get work done and pass it on somehow? People in some industries have to work for years at the worker level before being made a supervisor or manager… why? Because when they are promoted, they know exactly what they are talking about.
4. Awesome – The importance of having a positive self image is often overlooked, auto suggestions have been scientifically proven to work.  If you feel good about yourself, it will show in the way you carry yourself and also the way you communicate with others… so go ahead – be awesome, work awesomely and expect awesome results!

Hiring is a critical element of any manager’s job. There is no joy in reiterating the importance of hiring right – there’s enough and more that has been said about the price of making the wrong hiring decision. The problem is on two fronts – there are people who know what is to be done, but don’t, and then there are people who don’t know how to go about the interviewing process in the first place. So why follow the same routine that gets you the right result by chance, and not by choice? When you’re hiring next, follow the following 4 simple steps and you’ll dramatically improve the chances of making the right hiring decision.

Understand the requirement: you may think that you know what you’re hiring for, and you probably do. Nonetheless, draft out a quick job description if you don’t have one already. You’ll be surprised at the insight that you get into the role. This exercise offers another advantage, it not only helps you understand clearly what questions you should ask during the interview, it also allows you to remodel the role – there are many tasks that could perhaps be done by this role incumbent, and many others that could probably sit outside this role. In any case, read the job description thoroughly, and get the role clear in your head first.

Prepare, prepare, prepare: don’t reach the interview room not knowing what you want to ask. For this, the foremost requirement is for you to have read the candidate’s CV many times over – know him well before you start interacting with him. It is not only bad manners to start looking at the CV for the first time in front of the candidate, it also enables the candidate to take charge of the interview flow, something that you don’t want ever to let happen. At the same time, know the questions that you must ask the candidate. Structuring the flow of the interview enables you to stay in control, minimises the chances of something critical not been covered, and allows you to get a comprehensive ‘feel’ of what the candidate has done in the past, and what is he capable to doing in the future.

Follow a structure: the interview has three parts – the opening, the body and the closing. It is important to understand that each one of these is an important piece in the jigsaw. While 80% of the time is spent in the body, the opening and closing bits leave perhaps a more lasting impression in the candidate’s mind. In the opening, greet the candidate, set the tone of the interview, build rapport, make the candidate feel comfortable so that he is able to showcase what he is fully, and clarify the structure of the interview. In the body, gather behavioural information, don’t rely on “gut-feel”, sell the position to him, ask if he has any questions, clarify elements of the role and organisation that he might have questions on, and always keep control. In the closing, thank the candidate, and tell him clearly what the next steps are.

Follow behavioural model: the best indicator of future performance is past performance – this is the dictum that you should always keep in mind while interviewing. There is a simple model to follow – EAR. E is for example, continuously ask the candidate about examples of what he has done in the past. Hypothetical questions (what will you do if…) do not necessarily tell you how will be react in real-life situations, but a recount of his actions in the past under similar situations will give you an idea of what to expect in future. A is for action, continuously probe on his actions in the example (stay away from “we”, “my team”, etc.). R is for result, continuously seek the outcome of his actions in the examples that he quotes. Merely knowing the example and the action is not sufficient, you must know what happened as a result of his actions. Put together, the EAR model helps you gather information that’ll be useful in the final decision. Any other model throws up data that is not conclusive, the candidate can go either way while performing in the role.

In the final analysis, it is important to understand what the candidate has done in the past – meandering interviews that focus on generalities do not make for decisions that can stand the test of real life performance. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, how will you know when you’ve found it?

Good luck with your next interview.

Recruitment is one function of HR that plays a major part in deciding the success of the organization as well as defining the organizational culture. How, then, to ensure that you, as a recruiter, recruit only the best for your company? Finding the ideal candidate for a position can be a tricky proposition as it does not require only qualification, but also behavioral skills and attitudes which make a candidate suitable for the job. Some ideas that can help recruiters find the right person for the right job:

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Craft the Job Description carefully:

A job description is the starting point of recruiting for any position. More important than the job description, is the process that is used to develop it internally. One very good way of doing this is to assemble a team of people who represent the best qualities of the people who currently hold the same or a similar position, including the hiring manager. The job description has to delineate the KRAs of the position. It should also include the major behavioral characteristics required for the position. The second step would be to cull out those parts of the job description that will be used to screen resumes and start phone screening. The phone screening gives an idea about what to expect from candidates for the position in question and thus, help in framing interview questions.

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Tapping Employee Networks:

Nominate employees to participate in various conferences, workshops, and trade shows etc. This would not just build networks, but also create visibility for the company in the industry circles thus attracting potential candidates. Develop a system for keeping in touch with the contacts thus formed either through telephone or e-mail. A company newsletter would also be a great way of staying in contact with people. These can be posted on the company website and/or sent out using mailing lists.

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Use Your Website:

Your company’s website is a potentially powerful medium of attracting employees. A well put-together website conveys the vision, mission, values and culture of the organization to the viewer in the most convincing manner. The ‘Jobs & Career’ section must sparkle with personality so that a potential candidate feels “this is the place for me”. Also essential is an easy interface for submissions of resumes and clear indications on who to contact and how to contact for any queries or questions.

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Maintain Frequent Contact:

So you have got a pool of resumes for various positions in your files. What do you do with them? Don’t just let them languish. You might not need them right now, but a requirement might arise at a later date. Keep in constant touch with them so that all your momentum is not lost. Let them subscribe to the company’s newsletter or have a mini newsletter designed especially for them. Keep them updated about the recent job openings. They can also bring in references for other positions. Nurture the association into a long term relationship.

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Use Recruiters And Headhunters:

Sometimes, it can be worth the money to use recruiters and headhunters. These professionals usually have a database that they have accumulated over a period of time and can most of the time find the right kind of candidate within a short duration. They are especially useful when hiring for senior positions or positions with specific technical expertise.

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Harness The Internet:

Use the internet for attracting a larger number of applications. Various websites provide job-listings as well as resume search services either free of cost or at a charge. These websites are also ideal for accumulating a database of resumes which are relevant to the different roles in your organization. Moreover, these make the process easier as these websites generally have an interface which makes it possible for the recruiter to key in the keywords for a position or select them from a list.

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Become An Employer Of Choice:

What opinion does a potential employee form about your company? The first thing to consider would, of course, be stability and profitability of the company. Other than that, candidates are also affected by how employee-friendly you are, how evocative your vision and mission statement is, how much sense of purpose do you convey, does your organization nurture talent and provide opportunities for growth and so on. And remember, the devil is in the details. It does matter to the candidate if you return his phone call, if the interview questions are succinct and probing, if you give him feedback even if he is not selected, if he feels appreciated and valued. All the little things do make a difference. To become an employer of choice, act like one.

Recruiting right and recruiting the best, is a skill that can be honed over time. With the assistance of the tips and tricks mentioned above, recruiters can take another positive stride in the direction of good recruiting.