Irvine, Calif. — “There are seven stages of engagement in the employment recruiting and hiring process. We have closely examined how each is currently broken, and are offering companies creative tips for success at each critical stage. The second of the seven stages we’ll discuss is SELECTION,” says Kim Shepherd, CEO of Decision Toolbox, a nationwide provider of project based hiring and on-demand Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO). “Once you’ve successfully attracted a viable pool of job applicants, how do you determine which prospects are worth your valuable time?”
How Selection is Broken
“Without a plan, recruitment can be a real time drain. The process of selection is particularly hazardous, especially in our current economy,” explains Shepherd. Shepherd advises companies to not assume unemployed applicants are not A-players. “In late 2009, many companies slashed 10-20% of their workforce, and those cuts were made to their higher salaried positions — their A-players. This top talent is all around us now — they may have struck out on their own to perform consulting work, gone back to school, taken a lesser paying job, or are engaged in other non-traditional means of employment until the economic smoke clears,” points out Shepherd.
Plan your Work and Work your Plan
Shepherd says you need to “plan your work and work your plan” by doing the following:
• Once you have screened your resumes and developed a first batch of potential candidates, shoot them each an email. For this initial email, come up with eight strong questions around the skill-set that you desire.
• Next, develop three strong questions around the soft skills that you’re seeking. If an applicant is unemployed, ask about the circumstances of their unemployment.
• Based on the answers you receive, narrow down your pool and set up phone “meet and greet” conversations with those in which you are most interested. In this stage, be ready with four key logistics questions to discuss — these may be related to the job location, salary, cultural fit, career pathing, etc.
• The final stage in selection is to decide who, based on your phone screening process, you should bring in for an in-person interview. If you have done a thorough and consistent job in the initial layers of screening, you will probably have a small pool of well-qualified candidates to meet — and not too many surprises.
Stay tuned for the third installment in Decision Toolbox’s series when Shepherd will explore the third stage of engagement — INTERVIEWING.
About Decision Toolbox (DT)
Founded in 1992, Decision Toolbox provides scalable and easily integrated recruitment solutions for a 7% cost per hire on average while incorporating rigorous quality controls and a twelve-month candidate guarantee. Armed with the very latest tools and a team of seasoned US-based Recruiters and Sourcers, Decision Toolbox is an on-demand recruiting department for one critical search, for large projects, or a complete RPO/RPI solution. Decision Toolbox has taken a leadership role in almost every aspect of recruitment, introducing an RPO offering in 2000, four years before it became industry practice.
DT is recognized as a “Thought Leader” by organizations such as SHRM, PIHRA, and the NHRA, and was awarded the 2009 Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility. DT is a Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) certified company, the Gold Standard. WBENC Certification validates that the business is 51 percent owned, controlled, operated, and managed by a woman or women.
This press release was distributed through PR Web by Human Resources Marketer (HR Marketer: www.HRmarketer.com) on behalf of the company listed above.