Recruitment strategies form a key element in a business plan and IT companies require a holistic approach while employing people,

says Mahesh P K

No regrets after entry

INFORMATION Technology (IT) is the sunrise industry of our times. IT has emerged as the area employing the most, if not the maximum number of professionals. The high salary offered by the industry and the youthful, yet professional work environment has attracted a large number of talented young people to the industry. However, with ever changing vistas for expansion and growth, employee turnover rate is also among the highest. Competition to retain the best talent in the industry is the foremost agenda for recruiters. Retention of talented employees is a major challenge. Though salary remains a persuasive factor, it is also considerably researched that a challenging work environment, growth opportunities and other such non-financial factors play a huge role in employee retention as well as attracting new employees. Hence, recruiting and retaining the brightest talent in the country is the major challenge that any HR person faces, since it is the sole criteria for the success of an IT firm. Effective recruitment strategies need to be established for any IT firm charting out their success plan. The effectiveness of a recruiting strategy is dependent on the maturity of the organisation, as also innovativeness of the recruitment strategy. Many, if not most, organisations fail to connect the business plan of the organisation to the recruitment strategy, thereby becoming a wasted effort. Recruiting in all industries, more so in the IT industry is very business plan sensitive. For the recruitment strategy to be effective, planning and foresight are the key benchmarks. Background research into the organisations previous recruitment strategy can serve as the blueprint of successful recruitment now. Different organisation follows different ways to get the most efficient and outstanding employees. Methods such as employee referrals, recruitment advertisements, consultants, headhunting, existing databases, specialised portals and e-recruitment, are widely used in the IT industry. Depending on the criticality of the recruitment drive, all or some of the above channels will be brought into play, without affecting the normal flow of the business process. If the backend process for each of the processes is put in place, a majority of the problems concerning recruitment can be solved immediately and timeliness can be implemented effectively. Employees are the most important assets that an organisation has. They are the only brand-ambassadors for the organisation, who also run the business to triumph. It hence becomes essential, if not only critical, that the right resources are employed at the right time. The first step to achieving this is to get the recruitment process itself right. A wrong decision or a decision taken in haste can prove to be costly in terms of money, training resources spent on the employee as well as loss of business or reputation due to poor or unsuitable work. This could lead to a re-recruiting process, which would prove to be a drain on the organisations resources. Research has shown that, in retrospect, almost 30 percent of the HR Managers have

regretted their decision to employ somebody to the organisation. That is much too high to be ignored! Given here are some practical points one needs to follow to try and ensure the most effective recruitment strategy: Do your background work First and foremost, analysis of the requirement of the recruitment drive needs to be established. Are you sure you need to recruit at all? If you answer is in the positive, figure out whether it is just as a filler or is there scope for the employee in future new businesses. Spend time on analysing, since it is of utmost importance that the new recruit doesnt become a liability tomorrow, say in a situation when the client pulls out his business from your organisation. Employment is a cost that will increase, so first and foremost you have to be convinced that you need to employ a new person. Is it possible to use the current resources and handle the new assignment or can another competent employee take on the additional responsibility at a marginal cost to the company? Maybe a reshuffling of portfolios will do the trick for you cutting down the costs for the organisation. Once you determine that you need to recruit, be clear about what you are looking for. Establish whether you need someone with experience or a fresher. If you need someone with experience, it becomes essential to map the experience profile of the employee. Ascertain the educational background of the ideal employee for the post determined and the necessary skills to survive and flourish in your organisation. Do not overshoot. Hiring someone beyond the requirements of the post will only make him demotivated later, and the process of recruitment will have to begin again in a matter of a few months. Give the recruitment process enough of your time. Many a times, the time given would not be sufficient to analyse so deeply. In such cases, rely on previous mappings to guide you. It is better to spend time on defining your needs for fulfillment than regret on a later date. Use your channels effectively Effective usage of employee referrals. Existing employees of your organisation can provide some of the best referrals in the industry. Since the employees are on the job and aware of the precise requirements of the job, the references would be more often than not, fitting the job profile. Use employee referrals effectively, combining it with enticing reward schemes. The talent pool that you would gain access to is immeasurable. Do not mislead when advertising If you decide to advertise do not make misleading claims in the advertisement copy since it would only serve to delude the prospective employees to what you have written in the advertisement, versus what the post actually is. Clearly outline the main responsibilities of the post, the level of responsibility and the competencies the selected employee should have. And, you could also mention something about the organisation in the advertisement it would serve as indirect publicity. Do not give an improper requirement to your headhunter/consultant. If you decide to use the help of a headhunter or consultant, the brief for the requirement should be precise. Remember headhunters and consultants become the mouthpieces of the organisation, and it is essential that they convey the right information across. Wrong information would invariably lead to wrong people being recommended or even recruited. The time wasted in this effort is another issue altogether!

Use specialised job portals Usage of specialised job portals effectively will result in getting good resource from across geographical boundaries, thereby giving you the wide choice that youd want to look for. This channel works out to be very effective if it used religiously. The biggest advantage is that the organisation can get good mileage across the globe and also acquire the best talent available. Use e-recruitment effectively First and foremost update your website constantly. Many potential employees and consultants or headhunters visit the site for information about the organisation. A short introduction about the organisation, the work-environment, the profile of the top management, compensation benefits on par with or superior to the present norm in the IT industry, career path and growth profile, among many others should be highlighted. e-recruitment can become one of your most powerful tools of attracting the potential employees to the organisation. Personalisation of the contact details also help immensely. For e.g. let the contact address for online applications be someone in the organisation's HR department, like aparna@xyz.com instead of career@xyz.com or hr@xyz.com. Personalisation adds a face to the website that the potential employee would be able to relate to. Be objective Shortlist applications on the merit of the skill sets, qualifications and experience you set out to look for in the employees prior to receiving the applications. Do not get carried away by resumes that may seem attractive on a subjective basis. Be objective! Interview thoroughly Set aside enough time for interviewing. Meet all the potential employees that you have short-listed prior to taking any decision. Prioritise the qualities you are looking for and give each candidate a weighted rating on the same. When interviewing, do not ask the obvious. Seek to ask questions by which you can confirm the contents of the resume and secure any doubts or clarifications you may have. Always try to verify for yourself if the potential employees have done what they claim in their resumes. Make a second shortlist from the potentials that have scored adequately in the competencies you set out to measure. And go about the task once gain with an objective mindset. When you have got to a shortlist of two or three potential employees, make sure that the job profile in your organisation matches their expectations and desires. Ask why they want to work for you, what is their ideal job, what they dislike most in a job, etc among others. This will give you an idea about their motivations and enthusiasm regarding the job. You are the best judge about the job and its requirements. Map each person on the requirements depending on their likes and dislikes. Of course, time is the essence in any recruitment process; even more so if it is an important post. However, do not run through the recruitment process just for the sake of finishing it off. Do not be tempted to employ the better of the lot if all the interviewed people where not up to the standard your have set out to seek. Do not employ for the sake of filling the post. It is better to leave the post vacant rather than employ the wrong person. Employ for value rather than for skills. It is easier to train a person in the skills required for the post than change his attitudes! Make use of references Ask the potentials for references and verify them. Do not just rely on written references but call up the people mentioned. Describe to them the job offer and ask them if the potential

employee would be able to meet up to the standards as required by your organisation. Word-of-mouth references will be an ideal way for gauging a candidates competencies. But always keep in kind to re-check with the candidate if you can call up the reference to talk about him. It is unethical business practice and considered a breach of confidentiality to speak to references without the knowledge of the employee. Make a clear job offer As part of the background research do not forget to determine the wages and benefits for the particular job post clearly. When determining the package bear in mind what your current employees earn and seek equanimity. Once you have determined whom you want to make an offer to; you might be tempted to talk-up your business in order to make it attractive to him. Avoid this at all costs. Be honest and upfront about the business and the job. Misleading information or exaggerated information would only demotivate the employee a few months down the line and he will start to look out for greener pastures. Maintain documents Keep records! Documentation of the entire recruitment drive will be useful for your next cycle of recruitment and will give you the right direction. Learning from the past will always help you to fine tune your processes. In turn, this will help you reduce errors and increase productivity, thereby yielding great results. Stumbling blocks will prove to be stepping stones tomorrow!

Words Mahesh Director Aavishkaar Consulting Would be glad to answer your queries; feel free to contact me @mahesh@aavishkaar.com