Promote the Promotable!

One of the things I love about recruiting is seeing the joy and satisfaction that comes to some selected candidates. Whether they have finally landed that job that will get them to the next step in life or they have worked hard and gotten their dream job, it always brings a smile to my face. Of course, there are always those applicants who get the job and don’t seem to care either way. I won’t concentrate on them; let’s keep it positive. Apathetic applicants haunt too many of us!

Getting a promotion usually brings the most excitement from an applicant. These would normally be existing employees of the company who have developed their skills so they would be poised for the next great role to take them up the career ladder. The feeling of accomplishment and salary increase make for a celebratory environment. Promotions can work wonders for morale by retaining talent and showing a commitment to all employees. Promotions can be a win-win opportunity for both employer and employee.

However, there are times that promotions can bring ire and discontent when they are given to employees who may not be perceived as deserving by their coworkers. Few and far between, these types of promotions almost feel like a punch below the belt for your staff and reek of favoritism. Hopefully your organization monitors these types of position changes and strives to promote the most qualified candidate. After all, that is the ethical thing to do, right? Often companies make the right decisions and promote candidates who are qualified and competent. However there are times they don’t. No matter what hiring decision is made, somebody is bound to be unhappy with it but a company should use the most transparent process to make hiring decisions in order to maintain integrity and morale.

Please note that I am not advocating that companies defend their promotions to their associates. But rather make it known to all employees that hiring decisions are made fairly and are free from discrimination and bias. Providing accurate and appropriate feedback to the candidates who are not selected can help alleviate any feelings of sour grapes. It also might help to foster a culture promoting internal promotion and offer opportunities for employees to develop their skills so they are ready when that next big break becomes available. These learning options could be casual like brown bag lunch and learns or more formal like offsite trainings and even encouraging further education by offering tuition reimbursement. Investing and promoting internal employees has proven time and again to benefit all parties.

Promoting the promotable – it’s just good business.

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Why So Testy?

One of the core competencies of recruiting is pre employment testing. Some companies forego the testing and others have so many that it can be mindboggling. In December 2010, SHRM published a good article on their website about selecting pre employment testing (for those of you who are members here is the link: http://www.shrm.org/Research/Articles/Articles/Pages/SelectingPre-employmentTests.aspx). This blog is not about the selection of these tests but the administration of them. And the stress that can come from it.

An applicant can have many emotions when attending pre employment testing. If your company is like mine, you give all your tests at your facilities. Our location is secure and requires all visitors to sign in with Security and be given a visitor’s badge. When they get to the testing room deep inside one of our buildings, their stress level tends to peak. As a Generalist, one of the many hats I wear is Recruiter and I usually administer pre employment testing to our applicants. Back before online tests, we gave paper tests which required several days to grade and left applicants hanging for days or even a week with no knowledge of their results. Today, we are able to let applicants know right away how they did. You would think the rapidness of results would allay some of their concern but I think it merely escalates some applicant’s stress level. Hopefully I can share some tips that have helped me, as the recruiter, alleviate some of their anxiety.

It pains me as a recruiter to watch applicants become so stressed out during pre employment testing. I have witnessed applicants exhibit all types of behavior while testing including, but not limited to, shaking, sweating, hyperventilating and, on one particularly bad occasion, becoming physically ill which halted the testing session and required housekeeping to use the biohazard clean up kit. None of these situations are pleasant to watch unfurl which is why I use respect and empathy with a dash of light humor to release some of the pressure. When I go into the testing room, I acknowledge each applicant and thank them for coming and acknowledge the time they have committed to taking the test. I speak with a warm professional tone as I lay out the expectations of the session (how long the session will last, what they will be taking and what they should expect), ask if there are any special accommodations or requirements (which usually is met with a series of blank, unknowing stares) and finally I let them know when they should receive their scores. Then I say something like, “Now that I have given you a ton of information, what questions can I answer for you?” which is always met with a chuckle or two. Ah, the ice is starting to melt! I might even throw in some anecdote about my work or life experience depending on how the crowd is or even share how I felt when I sat in their seats. This inevitably helps loosen the tension and allows for clearer thinking on behalf of the applicant. Then I let them get started on their test(s). During the test, I try not to “stare” at the applicants however I regularly glance up from what I am working on to make sure the test takers are engaged and not experiencing any problems. When they are finished, I escort them to the exit so they may go on with their day.

One comment I regularly hear from fellow recruiters is how the volume of candidates is overwhelming and does not allow for the human experience. I think when our stress level is high we often forget that we are dealing with people; people who are making an important step to work with our company. Usually, the recruiter is the first impression an applicant has of your company and it is part of the recruiter’s job to make sure the applicant has a positive first impression. I understand that there may be too many candidates and resources are tight, but that does not negate the need to be aware and acknowledge the potential anguish (yes, I said anguish) that a candidate can feel. I try to remember that they are nervous and might need someone show some sensitivity. I know when I am in the pre employment process I would probably feel the same way. After all, it’s only human.

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Thanks, But No Thanks, Mr./Ms. Applicant!

Remember the days when every applicant was acknowledged by a company? I do and lately I have heard from several job seekers that companies are no longer contacting applicants about the status of the position they have applied for. It can be frustrating to apply for a position and receive no response. And it’s even more frustrating to go through the interview process and not hear anything back from the company. What is happening to this mainstay of recruiting?

Times have certainly changed and so has the volume of candidates. Many recruiters argue that it is time consuming and a drain on resources to contact each applicant. I see their point but I think the lack of communication could potentially tarnish an employer’s brand.

Back in 2001 when I relocated from Manhattan to Wilmington, NC, I had applied to work as a staffing person for a large temporary firm. I went through the entire interview process and even the background checks and drug screening. I never heard back from the company. They just left me hanging. Fast forward to 2 months later and I was gainfully employed with a company and lo and behold this temporary firm came knocking on my door to get our business. It was even the same person who had interviewed me! It is amazing how things come around. Moral of the story – it is always good to respond to candidates as honestly as possible because you never know when you will see them again or when they might become customers of your company.

Ironically, I found out from the employer who hired me that there was a case of identity theft that tarnished my record. I was able to clear it up and maintain my clean background. I have always wondered if this error is what held me back from being hired by that temporary firm. They never shared anything with me so I will never know.

We all get busy and have jammed packed schedules. However taking a minute to even send a generic group email to the applicants who were not selected can not only alleviate the wonder the applicants have but potentially save face for the company. It can be a bummer when you are not considered for a position but at least a bit of solace can gained by knowing where you stand in the process. At my current employer, we recently implemented a new HRIS that allows applicants to see the status of all their applications at any time. This feature has reduced the phone volume in our office which is a BIG time saver in itself. In the past, we did everything we could to connect with each applicant. Now it happens automatically. Thank goodness for technology!

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