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Recruitment | 15
Greater growth would allow us to meet demand very quickly, So if ‘all bets are off’ in respect of market
One sensed that firms were slowly taking however, the disruption some employees norms post-Credit Crunch, what are firms
themselves off ‘survival mode’ and were brought with them was simply not worth the doing differently in terms of the recruitment
looking for greater growth by taking advantage bother. process? Does your firm, for example, even
of the one truism of the Credit Crunch and have one – just using a recruitment agency
liquidity crisis, namely that ‘all bets are off’. Experience doesn’t mean you have the right process in
There have been no certainties over the last The simple fact of the matter was that many of place. How can a firm ensure they get the right
couple of years and while this can be quite the individuals who passed through our doors person in the right role every time? Essentially,
frightening for those who wish for a return to (and left soon after) were just not suited to the they need to firstly understand their own
the old days, it can also be liberating for those financial services market, they did not have the company culture and the type of person who
who have often come up against a glass ceiling attitudes or skills or ambitions necessary to be a would thrive within it. They also need to have
or a proverbial brick wall when attempting to success in the role. Of course, as an employer a clear view about exactly what type of
break into new sectors and/or forge new you only ever learn this through the experience individual they are looking for; what are the
relationships. of having taken on an individual; all candidates qualities beyond simply having the right
This is no longer the case. While were interviewed however it is often difficult to qualifications that are needed at the firm?
relationships have survived and continue to be get a real feel for the person and, while a CV What values and drivers should the person
built on, many firms I have spoken to no might show the person to be perfect for the job have in order to be highly productive and
longer feel like ‘outsiders’ in their own on paper, this may never translate into reality successful in the role?
industry. This is because if they have particularly if they do not fit within the In terms of the provision of advice and
something to offer or can deliver business then company culture. achieving sales, many CVs will look similar. As
they are in a position to achieve greatness. I This is a very important point with regards stated, if they don’t have the necessary
fully anticipate 2010 to be the turning point to recruiting the right person. Before you go qualifications they’re not even going to make it
for many businesses; as I say, survival has been ahead and begin the establishment of that on to the short-list. There is therefore a much
achieved and firms are looking at ways which expanded sales team it is often a good exercise greater focus on soft skills which will not be
they can now develop and exploit the to look at your own firm and truly understand marked up on a CV. This is where an employee
opportunities that exist. what the company culture is and what you are profiling tool like the Axia profile could be
actually looking for with any new hire. The worth its weight in gold; firstly, it is impossible
Expansion  added bonus of course will come with being to cheat and it gives an accurate profile of the
This all means that a significant number of able to understand a candidate without even candidate, warts and all.
firms are on an expansion footing and in order having to look at a CV or interviewing them. Axiology is the science of value which means
to achieve these ambitions they are going to Many firms have used an array of traditional, the profile can highlight the internal valuing
need people to make it happen. While many some would say archaic, psychometric testing systems that influence everything we do. It is
firms will have spent the last couple of years in order to help them in this area. Let me be the different to other self assessments as it does
cutting costs and, unfortunately, jobs from their first to say that this type of testing has had its not ask someone to describe themselves, the
operations now it seems that there are roles place however the fact remains that is taker simply has to perform a ranking task
available. Which leads us on to the unenviable particularly limited in providing the true making it a totally objective measure. Firms
task of recruitment and developing a team information about a person an employer who use the profile will be provided with a
which is able to deliver exactly what the firm actually wants and needs. much more rounded picture of the candidate;
wants. For example, many firms will now be they will also be armed with an interview guide
looking at their sales teams and wondering Psychometric testing in order to ask the right questions. This allows
whether these can be expanded to enter new When many candidates are told they will be the employer to put the interviewee into
product areas and meet new targets. Alongside undertaking a psychometric test of any kind, situations where they can gauge exactly how
this sales expansion often comes with it the the first thing they will do is to buy or borrow a they will work and react in a real-life
need for more back-office/administration staff; book which will show them how to ‘pass it’. employment scenario. Importantly, of course it
in essence, your firm could need a number of Psychometric tests are set up in such a way that saves time and money by clearly identifying
quality personnel to fulfil the vacancies. they almost encourage individuals to try and those candidates who would not be right for
Many individuals will have gone through the cheat them, and this can be achieved. This is the firm, even if their CV shows that they
recruitment process themselves, and each will because the testing essentially delivers a self- might be suitable.
have their own take on how it has gone. For report to the employer based on only what the The recruitment process can be fraught and
every hire which fulfilled expectations and individual is willing to say about themselves; it takes a considerable amount of resource and
made a significant contribution to the business, they do not give a true insight because, let’s face investment; often this is still not enough to get
there will be another which did not go to plan it, how many people are truly willing to be the right person in the job. At a time when
and ended up at best causing tension in the completely open about themselves, especially time is money for most advisory firms, arming
workplace, at worst disrupting the entire flow when it comes to applying for a job? The themselves with all the relevant information
of the business. Hand on heart, many business mantra is often: ‘say what the interviewer wants about a potential candidate before they begin
owners and managers will probably be unable to hear in order to get the job’ and it would the interviewing process, could mean the
to put their finger on what made one hire so take a very perceptive interviewer not to be difference between getting it right and getting
right and another so wrong. taken in by this. Interviews are often based on it wrong.
In a former life I, and a couple of business the art of the first impression, and if the In a sales-based environment you want the
partners, ran a successful packaging firm and interviewer is only armed with a stock series of top performers but you also want those who
from personal experience we often had a the same questions which they ask each person, can make a real difference and add a
bumpy ride when it came to recruitment. Due then the likelihood is they are going to get stock considerable amount to the firm to put you
to the ebb and flow of our own business levels answers and little understanding of the true one step ahead of the competition. And in this
we would often bring in staff at short notice motivations and skills of the prospective environment that crucial head start could
through a temp agency. Whilst not ideal it employee. deliver real rewards.
www.mortgageintroducer.com February 2010 Mortgage Introducer
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