Recruitment is a multi-faceted process that is marked by the identification of job vacancies, analysing the job requirements, reviewing applications, screening, shortlisting, selecting and placing the right candidate. Below is an outline of the proposed recruitment steps.
Step 1. Developing the Job Description and Competency Profile
The first thing that any person manning the recruitment of any company needs to do is to come up with the job description and a competency profile for any position that arises within an organisation.
Step 2. Advertising the Job in the print media and social media platforms
The next step that should be taken is to advertise the job on the print media and social media platforms as deemed necessary by your organisation.
Step 3. Shortlisting Of Candidates
A. Design the Shortlisting Criteria
There is a need to develop the shortlisting criteria for each position by referring to the job description, competency profile and person specification for each role as provided.
- Shortlisting of Eligible and Qualifying Candidates
At this stage, you need to develop a list of prospective candidates who appear to match the requirements specified in the job description and selection criteria. The candidates are ranked against each other based on requisite requirements for each position and a numeral score that clearly distinguishes the most qualified candidates recommended for further consideration for each position. The screening of candidates will be based on the following shortlisting criteria among others as will be stated in each job description:
- Minimum years of experience
- Relevant academic qualifications
- Professional qualifications and certifications
Advertisment
- Competencies required for each job(knowledge, skills and abilities)
- Personal and Professional Attributes required of and priorities for the position
Step 4. Assessment of the Eligible and Qualifying Candidates
It is the process whereby candidates are assessed for their suitability for a role based on their cognitive abilities, personality characteristics and competencies required for a particular job. This process can be achieved by taking the potential candidates through psychometric tests, personality tests and assessment centres.
- Conduct Psychometric Tests
Psychometric tests are standardized and scientific tests used to measure individuals' cognitive abilities. The psychometric tests are designed to measure candidates' suitability for a role based on their cognitive abilities.
The main output of this stage is a psychometric report that gives a cognitive profile for all the potential candidates indicating their:
- Verbal Capacity
- Numerical Capacity
- Abstract Capacity
- Logic and Reasoning Capacity
- Critical Thinking Capacity
- Risk Category
- Analysis and interpretation of psychometric reports
- Conduct Personality Tests
Personality concerns the way we characteristically respond to other people and situations, how we tackle problems, our emotions and reaction to stress.
The key output of Personality Assessment is a personality profile of the potential candidates which highlights the following personality dimensions:
- Honesty-Humility
- Emotionality
- Extraversion
- Agreeableness
- Conscientiousness
- Openness to Experience
- Conduct Assessment Centres
An Assessment Centre consists of a standardized evaluation of behaviour based on multiple evaluations and it seeks to reveal the managerial capacity of assessed candidates. A group of subject matter experts will assess each candidate on specific competency dimensions. An assessment centre measures one’s ability to perform performance related exercises that are similar to work situations and activities. The candidate’s behaviour elicited by the assessment centre exercises is observed by assessors who have been trained to interpret these behaviours in terms of job dimensions. The eligible and qualifying candidates will be taken through the Assessment Centre Exercises that will be agreed upfront between IPC and AFCAC. The exercises can be leaderless group discussions, role plays and presentations.
The key output of this exercise is a competence profile for each candidate that gives an insight of the competencies that each potential candidate possess with respect to a particular position. Some of the generic competencies the candidates should exhibit among others are:
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Decision making
- Business Acumen
- Strategic Orientation
- Leadership
Step 5. Development of Competency-Based Interview Questions
At this stage, you need to develop a comprehensive interview guide that will be the basis of the interviews to ensure they are standardised and objective. The major output of this stage is an interview framework with questions that are anchored on competencies that are deemed necessary for each job as outlined in each job description.
Step 6. Conducting of the Actual Interviews
This process entails asking the candidates the same questions for each position that seek to identify certain technical competencies relevant to discharging the duties of a particular position. The interviews should be conducted by the Interview Panel constituted by heads of departments. The key deliverable of this step is an interview report that outlines the interview proceedings.
Step 7.Preparation and Presentation of the Consolidated Selection Report
The report will outline the process followed in the selection exercise and the names of final top candidates recommended in order of increasing merit for the position
Given this background it is imperative that when embarking on a recruitment exercise you need to follow a well articulated process with clearly defined steps
Newturn Wikirefu is the Talent Acquisition Manager at Industrial Psychology Consultants (Pvt) Ltd a management and human resources consulting firm.
Phone +263 4 481946-48/481950/2900276/2900966 or cell number +0784 597343 or email: newturn@ipcconsultants.com or visit our website at www.ipcconsultants