Dear All Greetings...
I am working with a manufacturing company of around 120-150cr turnover. Now, during the recruitment process, when i call 10 candidates for interview, only 2-3 appears. So, i want to know that how can we judge whether the candidate is serious for job change or not.. What are the parameters that can be used to judge whether a person is serios/willing for changing job... My boss is asking for a solution to this problem.. Please reply with your ideas..
Regards
Chetna
From India, New Delhi
2I am working with a manufacturing company of around 120-150cr turnover. Now, during the recruitment process, when i call 10 candidates for interview, only 2-3 appears. So, i want to know that how can we judge whether the candidate is serious for job change or not.. What are the parameters that can be used to judge whether a person is serios/willing for changing job... My boss is asking for a solution to this problem.. Please reply with your ideas..
Regards
Chetna
From India, New Delhi
You must know how to attract the candidate.Friendly move You have to give faith to candiate Regards V.Subbarao
From India, Madras
From India, Madras
Dear Chetna,
Greetings!!!
It's a common problem and there is no sure way of handling this. Actually, it has a lot to do with our attitudinal problem as we do not come from the culture of valuing time of ours' and others'.
You can take couple of preemptive steps though :
1. Follow up as vigorously as you can, however, make sure that you do not annoy candidate.
2. Be more careful while screening. That's an art which you will have to learn , if you are in recruitment function. A good candidate must have requisite experience, willingness to change, should fit in your salary band ( which is at least lil higher than his/her salary) and should be comfortable with your location. Never ever presume that every candidate will be willing to join your organization.
3. Always have a pipeline of candidates other than the ones whom you have called for interview. If you need 10 people for interview, always schedule 16-18 candidates. Sometimes, you may end up interviewing a few more but most of the time, you will find only target number.
4. Have the first round as HR round. That will separate chaff from the wheat. That will also tell you the seriousness of the candidate.Then, you can again have a final hr round where you can negotiate salary etc.
From India, Delhi
Greetings!!!
It's a common problem and there is no sure way of handling this. Actually, it has a lot to do with our attitudinal problem as we do not come from the culture of valuing time of ours' and others'.
You can take couple of preemptive steps though :
1. Follow up as vigorously as you can, however, make sure that you do not annoy candidate.
2. Be more careful while screening. That's an art which you will have to learn , if you are in recruitment function. A good candidate must have requisite experience, willingness to change, should fit in your salary band ( which is at least lil higher than his/her salary) and should be comfortable with your location. Never ever presume that every candidate will be willing to join your organization.
3. Always have a pipeline of candidates other than the ones whom you have called for interview. If you need 10 people for interview, always schedule 16-18 candidates. Sometimes, you may end up interviewing a few more but most of the time, you will find only target number.
4. Have the first round as HR round. That will separate chaff from the wheat. That will also tell you the seriousness of the candidate.Then, you can again have a final hr round where you can negotiate salary etc.
From India, Delhi
Have you asked the candidate about his covenient day & time about interview ? if no, please start doing it , I am sure you will have more turnout for interview.
From India, Pune
From India, Pune
Well Chetna it is not just happening with you but it happen with everyone. When I joined my firm on a particular Saturday I lined up 10 candidates and only 1 came. That day I told my director also to be available but no one turned up.
Anyways, after that I learnt a lesson that we should always have a back up. If you are recruiting then keep calling people and interviewing them till you are not finding the right candidate. After selecting one candidate also you should have a back up in case what if that candidate drops out!!!
So solution to your problem is keep calling candidates and interview them. One thing you have to keep in your mind that always ask candidates also their availability.
Happy Recruiting!!!!
Regards,
Monica
From India, Pune
Anyways, after that I learnt a lesson that we should always have a back up. If you are recruiting then keep calling people and interviewing them till you are not finding the right candidate. After selecting one candidate also you should have a back up in case what if that candidate drops out!!!
So solution to your problem is keep calling candidates and interview them. One thing you have to keep in your mind that always ask candidates also their availability.
Happy Recruiting!!!!
Regards,
Monica
From India, Pune
Dear Chetna,
I suppose there are number of issues any candidate would turn up as not every body would be ready for job change and other personal works. Candidate will not deny that he is not coming as he thinks he may loose good offer.
You may divide your options of recruitment based upon the budget you allocated for the recruitment cycle. You may divide and go through good and establish HR consultants.
Tell them job offer and compare what is good they will have in new job beside money. People look for stability and challenges also if job demands.
Pre desk work would help then later on the fly surprizes.
anuj
From India, Delhi
I suppose there are number of issues any candidate would turn up as not every body would be ready for job change and other personal works. Candidate will not deny that he is not coming as he thinks he may loose good offer.
You may divide your options of recruitment based upon the budget you allocated for the recruitment cycle. You may divide and go through good and establish HR consultants.
Tell them job offer and compare what is good they will have in new job beside money. People look for stability and challenges also if job demands.
Pre desk work would help then later on the fly surprizes.
anuj
From India, Delhi
Hello chetna
It is a paradox. On one hand I hear freshers complianing that it is hard to find jobs now and on the other hand you are complaining that it is hard to find candidates.One reason I apprehend for this situation may be that a candiadte may find a suitable job and a job may find a suitable candidate if they match each other in terms of their aspirations. You can try these simple suggestions.
1) Call candiadtes who can commute easily to their work place. Conveneince of travel is one of the key criterion in metros in choosing a job. For example in Mumbai, a resident in will be less inclined to go for a job in Kandivili in Western Suburbs, however lucartive it may be because it takes hell of a time commuting to & fro his/her office despite a well connected and fast tarnsport system which no other metro can boast of.Half of his/her life will be spent in local trains. Therefore keep this conveneince of commuting in mind as a factor in choosing candiadtes.
2)Some times we may be impressed by the qualifications. Do not call candidates who are over qualified for the position, merely beacuse he/she applied for it since the chances of them sticking to you are less.
3)Call candiadtes who worked previously in industries similar to you and your size, since thier chances of staying are better.
4) Look at your compensation structure. whether it is in tune with industry norm for same job profiles.. If not, you need to review it failing which it will be difficult to retain them.
5) Apart from sourcing from open market, try the sources of referrals of employees or professional circles as a back up.
6) Interviewing is an art. Be tactful in asking right questions to elicit information you want.
Hope thsi helps.
B.Saikumar
HR & Lab.Law Advisor
From India, Mumbai
It is a paradox. On one hand I hear freshers complianing that it is hard to find jobs now and on the other hand you are complaining that it is hard to find candidates.One reason I apprehend for this situation may be that a candiadte may find a suitable job and a job may find a suitable candidate if they match each other in terms of their aspirations. You can try these simple suggestions.
1) Call candiadtes who can commute easily to their work place. Conveneince of travel is one of the key criterion in metros in choosing a job. For example in Mumbai, a resident in will be less inclined to go for a job in Kandivili in Western Suburbs, however lucartive it may be because it takes hell of a time commuting to & fro his/her office despite a well connected and fast tarnsport system which no other metro can boast of.Half of his/her life will be spent in local trains. Therefore keep this conveneince of commuting in mind as a factor in choosing candiadtes.
2)Some times we may be impressed by the qualifications. Do not call candidates who are over qualified for the position, merely beacuse he/she applied for it since the chances of them sticking to you are less.
3)Call candiadtes who worked previously in industries similar to you and your size, since thier chances of staying are better.
4) Look at your compensation structure. whether it is in tune with industry norm for same job profiles.. If not, you need to review it failing which it will be difficult to retain them.
5) Apart from sourcing from open market, try the sources of referrals of employees or professional circles as a back up.
6) Interviewing is an art. Be tactful in asking right questions to elicit information you want.
Hope thsi helps.
B.Saikumar
HR & Lab.Law Advisor
From India, Mumbai
Hello Chetna,
Many fallacies by HR professionals are spread. In this post also many are repeated.e.g. dont call overqualified candidates. They dont stay longer. This are biases and general statements.
I have worked across different industries. why a person stays in a job is combination of many things not just one. How these things interact nobody can predict.
To come to your query
Recruitment is a process just like sales.We make 100 calls. 50 respondents show interest. 30 have budget for our product. Finally we get 3 orders.
Similarly do you have any numbers for your recruitment process.
Calls made
candidates interested
candidates interviewed
candidates accepted offer
candidates joined
Candidates stayed for more than 2 years.
Only from statistics you can estimate the effort required.Dont just go by your gut feel. There are many things we dont know. It is important to make sure that 'we know that we don't know'.
Do you have pitch for the candidates- Why they should join your company? Why your company is good. Can you give them testimonials of previous candidates who joined.what does different forums say about your company?
Is the recruitment process easy on the candidates? Are you calling 3 times for interview? Can you get all evaluators on a single day for interview and finish on time?
Does your evaluation fair- The person who gets higher evaluation in the recruitment also does better in the job. If it doesnt then you are not recruiting properly.
The most important is do you have top person support? In case you bring reality to their notice do they change? If not then your effort would be wasted. But then you have all data for support.
I hope this gives you some direction.
Regards
Rajesh
From India, Mumbai
Many fallacies by HR professionals are spread. In this post also many are repeated.e.g. dont call overqualified candidates. They dont stay longer. This are biases and general statements.
I have worked across different industries. why a person stays in a job is combination of many things not just one. How these things interact nobody can predict.
To come to your query
Recruitment is a process just like sales.We make 100 calls. 50 respondents show interest. 30 have budget for our product. Finally we get 3 orders.
Similarly do you have any numbers for your recruitment process.
Calls made
candidates interested
candidates interviewed
candidates accepted offer
candidates joined
Candidates stayed for more than 2 years.
Only from statistics you can estimate the effort required.Dont just go by your gut feel. There are many things we dont know. It is important to make sure that 'we know that we don't know'.
Do you have pitch for the candidates- Why they should join your company? Why your company is good. Can you give them testimonials of previous candidates who joined.what does different forums say about your company?
Is the recruitment process easy on the candidates? Are you calling 3 times for interview? Can you get all evaluators on a single day for interview and finish on time?
Does your evaluation fair- The person who gets higher evaluation in the recruitment also does better in the job. If it doesnt then you are not recruiting properly.
The most important is do you have top person support? In case you bring reality to their notice do they change? If not then your effort would be wasted. But then you have all data for support.
I hope this gives you some direction.
Regards
Rajesh
From India, Mumbai
Dear Chetna,
As indicated by HR professionals there is no acid test that will tell you about the candidate's seriousness.
However, the following could be indicators.
1. You send an call letter by e - mail and request the candidate to confirm his attendance for the interview. A response from the candidate may indicate his seriousness.
2. Follow up your call letter by a telephone call, because you should not assume that all candidates could have viewed your mail, not everyone keep browsing their e - mails on a daily basis. When you speak to the candidate to ascertain whether he/ she has received the mail if he/she shows interest it will be an indicator of his seriousness.
3. Candidates who are serious do not seek postponement of timing.
4. Do not schedule interviews on weekends (Saturdays or Sundays), this is because it could be a weekly off for the candidate and he/ she may merely want to test the waters during his/ her weekly off. On the other hand if the interview is scheduled on a weekday he/ she will have to apply leave to attend the interview. This could mean he/ she is serious. Many a times we find request from candidates to schedule interviews during weekends. Having stated this there is also one more danger, candidates who want to an interim job change also tend to apply leave and attend the interview but these candidates do not stick on for longer duration. This needs to be assessed during the interview process.
5.Do not schedule interviews for several candidates and make them wait for longer duration to save your trouble of saving time. To ensure that all candidates are attending follow up with candidates even on the date of the interview to ensure that they are attending. In case you find some candidate is dropping out you can call up a candidate who had sought a reschedule and fix him/ her up in the time slot.
6. Treat candidates well right from the security gate till he/ she leaves the factory.
7. If you have a travel reimbursement policy ensure that the candidates are reimbursed the expenses.
8. If the interview is closer to lunch time ensure proper arrangements for the candidates.
More than the interview process the way the candidate feels about the culture of the organisation, leads him/ her to decide join your organisation.
Regards
M.V.Kannan
From India, Madras
As indicated by HR professionals there is no acid test that will tell you about the candidate's seriousness.
However, the following could be indicators.
1. You send an call letter by e - mail and request the candidate to confirm his attendance for the interview. A response from the candidate may indicate his seriousness.
2. Follow up your call letter by a telephone call, because you should not assume that all candidates could have viewed your mail, not everyone keep browsing their e - mails on a daily basis. When you speak to the candidate to ascertain whether he/ she has received the mail if he/she shows interest it will be an indicator of his seriousness.
3. Candidates who are serious do not seek postponement of timing.
4. Do not schedule interviews on weekends (Saturdays or Sundays), this is because it could be a weekly off for the candidate and he/ she may merely want to test the waters during his/ her weekly off. On the other hand if the interview is scheduled on a weekday he/ she will have to apply leave to attend the interview. This could mean he/ she is serious. Many a times we find request from candidates to schedule interviews during weekends. Having stated this there is also one more danger, candidates who want to an interim job change also tend to apply leave and attend the interview but these candidates do not stick on for longer duration. This needs to be assessed during the interview process.
5.Do not schedule interviews for several candidates and make them wait for longer duration to save your trouble of saving time. To ensure that all candidates are attending follow up with candidates even on the date of the interview to ensure that they are attending. In case you find some candidate is dropping out you can call up a candidate who had sought a reschedule and fix him/ her up in the time slot.
6. Treat candidates well right from the security gate till he/ she leaves the factory.
7. If you have a travel reimbursement policy ensure that the candidates are reimbursed the expenses.
8. If the interview is closer to lunch time ensure proper arrangements for the candidates.
More than the interview process the way the candidate feels about the culture of the organisation, leads him/ her to decide join your organisation.
Regards
M.V.Kannan
From India, Madras
Hi Chetna/ All
Welcome to the World of Recruitment !
Many good points made here, and some which to me seem rather out...
IMHO, it depends upon :
a) Your Company in competition to that of the Candidate's. In terms of brand, turnover, perceived employee friendliness and salary structure
If you are better you have a far stronger chance.
b) What has been your screening process.. if you have been thorough so that the candidate can see a clear sync between what he is doing and your JD, along with a stretch in Job responsibilities/ Career he will be more interested. If he sees your efforts as being a more random "call all and let us see who turns up "approach, you will get a high dropout. This does happen more than any HR guy cares to acknowledge, and candidates are smart enough to quickly cotton on this fact.Do it very often and your company will simply get a bad reputation.
c) How long has the position been open ? Larger the tenure, more the " available pool" knows about it- and looses interest accordingly.
d) What are your present/past employees saying about your Company ? This is something very difficult to gauge, but given the rise of " Networks" is a very easy source for any candidate to turn to.
e) How difficult/easy are you making it for the Candidate to attend ? We know of companies who schedule interviews on Sundays, and close the process that day itself for junior level and at the most 2 more rounds for Middle/ Sr levels. Where do you rate ?
Inspite of all these there will be dropouts .. emergencies will happen, urgent tasks will turn up.. you can only check with the candidate about an hour before to have a clear idea and act accordingly.
And,if possible, close the position on the same day, even if two-three candidates out of 10 turn up. ( in fact I am rather surprised at that number , seems rather high to me even for Junior level Engg openings.. ) .. it is a difficult call I know since the Hiring Managers are always interested in seeing " more " ,and blaming the HR for not achieving their targets. This will depend on Top Management's attitude and your equations with the Hiring Managers.Get a reputation that your Company is serious about filling positions fast and you will find many things falling in place.
Just my thoughts....
From United States, New York
Welcome to the World of Recruitment !
Many good points made here, and some which to me seem rather out...
IMHO, it depends upon :
a) Your Company in competition to that of the Candidate's. In terms of brand, turnover, perceived employee friendliness and salary structure
If you are better you have a far stronger chance.
b) What has been your screening process.. if you have been thorough so that the candidate can see a clear sync between what he is doing and your JD, along with a stretch in Job responsibilities/ Career he will be more interested. If he sees your efforts as being a more random "call all and let us see who turns up "approach, you will get a high dropout. This does happen more than any HR guy cares to acknowledge, and candidates are smart enough to quickly cotton on this fact.Do it very often and your company will simply get a bad reputation.
c) How long has the position been open ? Larger the tenure, more the " available pool" knows about it- and looses interest accordingly.
d) What are your present/past employees saying about your Company ? This is something very difficult to gauge, but given the rise of " Networks" is a very easy source for any candidate to turn to.
e) How difficult/easy are you making it for the Candidate to attend ? We know of companies who schedule interviews on Sundays, and close the process that day itself for junior level and at the most 2 more rounds for Middle/ Sr levels. Where do you rate ?
Inspite of all these there will be dropouts .. emergencies will happen, urgent tasks will turn up.. you can only check with the candidate about an hour before to have a clear idea and act accordingly.
And,if possible, close the position on the same day, even if two-three candidates out of 10 turn up. ( in fact I am rather surprised at that number , seems rather high to me even for Junior level Engg openings.. ) .. it is a difficult call I know since the Hiring Managers are always interested in seeing " more " ,and blaming the HR for not achieving their targets. This will depend on Top Management's attitude and your equations with the Hiring Managers.Get a reputation that your Company is serious about filling positions fast and you will find many things falling in place.
Just my thoughts....
From United States, New York
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