Before looking at the HR trends to come in the future, we need to understand the context and basis for these changes within the industry.
Continue readingTop 5 HR Trends to Lookout for in 2022 and Beyond
Rethinking Your Recruitment Strategy for Passive Candidates
With an effective strategy to access the large talent pool of passive candidates, you will be leading the race for securing top talent.
Continue readingThe Importance of Automated Reference Checking in the Post-Covid-19 Era
The Importance of Automated Reference Checking in the Post-Covid-19 Era “Adaptibility is the simple secret of survival.” – Jessica Hagedorn, American Playwright It stands as a hard fact that Covid-19 and the pandemic that followed changed
Continue readingReference Checking Questions You Should be Asking
“The ability to ask the right questions is more than half the battle of finding the answer.”
- Thomas J. Watson, ex-CEO and Chairman of IBM
In this article, we will try and tackle the topic of reference questions for new hires. We will also talk about the process of reference checking after the interview. When it comes to reference checks and reference checking questions, people either love them or hate them. On the one hand, you have those who view reference checking as a means of uncovering the candidate’s abilities. It can be a tool to find out work history and even personality traits in some cases. On the other hand, some believe it to be not worth the time. Reference checks can feel like a waste of time when there is no proper structure or procedure in place. A lot of the time, you will end up with a list of references from the candidates who turn out to be their friends or other personal references. As expected, they will of course advocate for how great the candidate is.
Now, when a reference check is done right, it can be a vital tool in the recruitment process. It helps you make informed decisions about the people you hire. So, to help mitigate the negative aspects of this argument and help you get the most out of this process, we bring you this blog. We will talk about the people who would make the best references. We will also go over the best reference checking questions that you should be asking to get the information that you need.
Talking to the Right References: Reach Out via the Candidate
One of the best ways to get the ideal references is to ask the candidate to provide them. Ask the candidate for the names and numbers of their previous employer. Now, if they are yet to resign and are looking for a job, they obviously might not want you to get in touch for job safety reasons. You should respect that. Rather, ask for the contact number of a manager from a previous role. This is more than fair to both parties.
This is where it gets interesting. Depending on whether they are evasive or helpful, you will get a clear reading of what kind of employee they might be. On top of all this, the candidate might be the right person to put you in touch with their previous employers as they have a well-established relationship with them. These references might be more willing to chat if they believe that it would help a former colleague.
A candidate's achievements at their previous job can tell you a lot about their work ethic.
Asking the Right Reference Checking Questions
Once you have the right references, make sure to let them know about the confidentiality factor of the process. This is crucial if you want them to be honest and open with their answers. Tell them that no matter how glaring or glowing their feedback is, it all stays confidential. Here are the best reference checking questions you should be asking.
Question 1: What was the working relationship between you and the candidate?
Start the conversation off in a light manner, ease them into it. You don’t want to hit them with all the reference checking questions at once. This question will also allow you to start cross-checking basic information. You can verify things like the candidate’s title, responsibilities and other things they might have already told you.
Question 2: Did the candidate have any major accomplishments while working with you?
To a certain extent, this is another one of those reference checking questions that will help ease the reference’s mind. It serves a purpose beyond just validating any major milestones that the candidate may have had. This question stands as a reminder that the reference checking process is not built just to catch out candidates. It is an opportunity to learn more about the person behind the resume. So you can understand what exactly they bring to the table.
Question 3: What are some of his/her greatest strengths in your opinion?
This question is one designed for calibration beyond just the average understanding of skill sets. What we mean by this is that the answer to this question will tell you how well things line up with the initial rounds of interview, the candidate’s resume as well as their work samples. You will have a chance to see how the responses line up with the candidate’s self-assessment. This indicates self-awareness, with which you can calibrate the other answers you get. Essentially, does the reference’s assessment of the candidate line up with what the candidate thinks of their strengths?
Question 4: What were some areas of concern that you think stand out as red flags?
This is a big one. This question serves a dual purpose. As a prospective employer, you need to know if there are any areas for improvement, what they are and how to address them. You also need to know if the candidate is coachable. The other point of this question is to bring to the surface any reason you may want to rethink the hiring of a particular candidate. For example, if the reference says that the candidate might benefit from an extra month of training, then you have to question their capabilities and experience for that role.
Question 5: Did the candidate work better in a team or alone?
Look, neither has to be a bad or good thing, some professionals work best alone and some in a team. It just depends on what you, as the employer, are looking for. This will not only reveal if your candidate is a team player but also tell you how good of a communicator they might be. Soft skills are just as important as any other skills in a business. Keep in mind that when you are asking these questions, you are also evaluating how well the reference knows the candidate.
Depending on if the candidate got promoted at their last job or not will reveal a lot. Did they check all the right boxes?
Question 6: Did the candidate receive any promotions while at your company?
If the candidate was promoted at one point, then this would bolster their resume and the likelihood of getting selected. However, if not, it might serve you better to understand why. Perhaps there were no open positions, or maybe the management decided they needed a stronger internal candidate (which could be a red flag), or something else entirely.
Question 7: Why did the candidate leave the company?
Much like the initial question, this one is another cross-checking question. It will tell you not only why they left but if it checks out with what the candidate told you in the initial rounds of the interview. It is also a good indicator of any red flags like if they left on bad terms, some workplace issue or something else.
Question 8: Would you rehire this candidate?
This is a follow-up to the previous question, because if the reference doesn’t give you a resounding ‘absolutely’, then you might have to reconsider. Hesitation implies there are some underlying issues. This is something you should probably probe more about. Ask the reference why they would or would not hire them back.
Question 9: Is there anyone else you would recommend I speak with?
The whole point of the reference checking process and asking all these reference checking questions is to gain insight from a different point of view. So, ask the references if there is anyone who would be willing and able to talk to you that can tell you more about the candidate. This could be someone who worked alongside the candidate or under them too.
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Job Interview Questions Every Candidate Should Ask an Employer
Job Interview Questions Every Candidate Should Ask an Employer
“To ask the right question is already half the solution of a problem.”
- Carl Jung, Swiss Psychiatrist
In this day and age, the workplace isn’t what it used to be. The pandemic proved how valuable job security and satisfaction were for employees. When it comes down to the recruitment process, the job interview is often the defining moment for both employer and employee. In such a rapidly changing landscape, you as the employee, need to also have the assurance that your potential employer has your best interest at heart. You also need to be sure that there is room for growth and that they are adapting to the ever-changing landscape. This blog aims to give candidates and jobseekers alike a helping hand in framing some impressive questions that can not only help your chances at landing a job but also help you assess the company for compatibility. Without delay, let’s get into it!
Job Interview Question 1: What's Your Strategy for Surviving the Pandemic?
Don’t think of this as an offensive question. It’s completely fair for you as a potential future employee to want to know if your employer has a viable business model. You need to make sure you have some level of job security before diving in right? Besides, it’s no secret that a lot of companies went under during the pandemic-induced shutdowns. If not that, it’s been downsized or restructured. Everyone had to learn to adapt or drown, so you need to know how they survived so you can go forward.
It would also be a good idea to check if they have a plan to survive the next pandemic if there ever was one. Given the different variants out there and the consecutive waves across the globe, it’s hard to be certain of anything. Make sure your employer has a backup plan in place.
Your future rides on you asking the right questions during a job interview, so make it count!
Job Interview Question 2: How Did You Add Value During the Pandemic?
Keeping to the pandemic centric questions, this is another one. It was a time when the world was forced to come together. Industries relied on each other and had to go the extra mile to survive. Some companies like food delivery services and grocery stores became key social enablers that people depended on daily. Alcohol distilleries started manufacturing hand sanitisers in some parts of the world.
The point being, asking your prospective employer about how they added value to other businesses or society in general during this time is very insightful. They tell you a lot about the employer’s character and intentions.
Job Interview Question 3: What Are Your Policies on Flexible Work?
Most people have gotten used to the remote work model. It’s flexible and convenient most days. If not that, then a hybrid work model. Whatever the case, not many are in favor of the usual 9-to-5 work model. If you find yourself a part of this crowd, then you should ask your prospective employer if they have flexible work policies. If they don’t ask them what the average week looks like. This is a great job interview question to help you decide where you want to work.
Job Interview Question 4: What Are Your Future Plans?
If the pandemic taught us anything, it is that the future is uncertain. As a potential employee, it makes sense for you to want to know what your prospective company envisions for its future. What are they working towards and are you interested in being a part of that vision? Ask them about projects or strategies that they have in the pipeline.
"I will prepare and someday my chance will come."
- Abraham Lincoln, 16th U.S. President
Job Interview Question 5: What is the Work Culture Like?
To be able to grow or even work at a company, you need to know if you would get along with the other employees. Ask your employer about what the culture is like, how open and free the general atmosphere is most days and what they strive to achieve in that. This job interview question is very important because most employees quit after a few months. This is often due to the company culture not being what they expected.
Job Interview Question 6: What Does Career Growth Look Like in Your Company?
This job interview question has always been a relevant one. Coming back to the idea of job security. You need to know if there is room for career growth within the company. Ask them what incentives they provide, how often do they have their employee assessments, how much do they alter salary increments and even how often they promote people. There is no point in joining a company where you hit a dead-end in terms of career growth.
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Skill Shortages in the Modern Workplace: How to Overcome It
Skill Shortages in the Modern Workplace: How to Overcome It
“Don’t get distracted by the shiny object (and if a crisis comes), execute on the fundamentals.”
- Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix
In recent years with the shift in work modes as a result of the pandemic, many have lost their jobs. This is partly also due to the changes in technology that were forced into commission as a result of the circumstances. The rapid changes in the needs of businesses left gaping canyons of disparity when it comes to skill shortages. As job demands increase and change new skills are being found to fill the gaps. This leaves some skills outdated, unfortunately.
When all is said and done, businesses are struggling to find the right skill sets to address the skill shortages they face. More than that, talent is also becoming scarce. Without the right recruitment strategy, the shrinking talent pool may eventually dry up. Having said that, in today’s blog, we will address these skill shortages by showing you what steps you can take to improve your hiring strategy.
Skill Shortages Tip #1: Focus on Hiring the Right Candidate
When skill shortages are concerned, it becomes critical to hire the right people at the right time. As you would imagine, with such a scenario, the competition is likely to be high for the existing talent pool. The more the competition, the longer it might take you to find the right person for the job.
The candidate also gets more leverage due to the high demand for their skills. This can lead to a high payout to land a certain candidate. However, even if you win this race, there is no guarantee that you will find the right candidate. The chances of hiring the wrong person go up in a shrinking talent pool. This is partly because you are just grabbing the first best opportunity you get. That’s why it’s important to take the time to assess your options and make sure you focus on hiring the right person.
Automated Reference Checking technology can be a great help in identifying the right candidate for you!
Skill Shortages Tip #2: Use the Right Technology for Better Quality
Sometimes all it boils down to is using the right technology. For instance one of the main reasons that the recruitment process takes so long, is the reference checking and cross verification. What if you had a tool that could help you automate that process so your hiring manager can focus on what matters. This is where automated reference checking like Credibled comes in.
Credibled was founded by highly experienced recruiting industry leaders to provide cost-effective, automated reference checking solutions. We have utilized reference checking services ourselves and felt that there is a lot of room for growth and change in the industry. We took our prior experience to develop an industry-leading software solution. In the fierce race to secure top talent, Credibled enables you to win the battle with transparent, accurate and accelerated reference checks.
Our powerful API gives you an unmatched verification experience in the recruitment process. This means that you can start building on our platform effortlessly and make your background checks faster, easier, and more accurate. So, it’s worth considering.
Skill Shortages Tip #3: Shoot for Better Employee Retention
Many hiring managers will tell you that losing your existing employees takes more of a toll on the company than hiring new ones. Therefore, when you do find the right person, make sure you employ strategies to retain them for the long run. However, before you can jump in and try to create an employee retention plan to address the skill shortages, you need to identify the reasons for low retention.
It could be a variety of different things from poor quality of management, tough work-life balance, poor cultural fit, or even a lack of opportunity to grow within the company. Then once you identify the issues, you can go about creating solutions to address them. For example, you could pay competitive salaries, offer on-the-job training, reward and appreciate employees for their efforts or just re-invent the culture of the company to make it more inclusive.
"Choose the right employees and then set them loose."
- Carlos Slim, Mexican Business Magnate
Skill Shortages Tip #4: Stay Connected With Your Talent Pool
During the recruitment process, you build a repository of candidates. The mistake most hiring managers make is that they forget about all the ones that didn’t make it past screening. This is perhaps one of the most valuable resources you can have in the fight against skill shortages. As time goes on, these individuals are constantly studying, training and gaining new skills that might be useful later down the line.
A talent pool is never stagnant. Hence, you need to stay in touch with them and do regular follow-ups. This is especially useful when you’re headhunting and in the race for top talent.
Skill Shortages Tip #5: Adapt Your Workforce to Suit Current Trends
As we mentioned earlier, the onset of the pandemic forced mass migrations in technology and workforce trends. Most of the world was working from home. People got a taste for it. Now, even with offices opening back up, a lot of workers prefer the flexibility of working from home, which directly conflicts with the workforce composition of many companies. What hiring managers need to do, is to rethink their hiring policies and workforce compositions going forward. This includes accommodating the needs of remote workers.
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Roll Out an Efficient Recruitment Process in 2022
Roll Out an Efficient Recruitment Process in 2022
“Efficiency and focus are the keys to success.”
- Robert Crais, American Author
The world of recruitment and hiring has become rather erratic and unpredictable over the past few years. This was especially highlighted by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. When recruiters need to hire these days, they usually need to do it quickly. Now, the pandemic does play a part in this, but as we said it is only one part. The other is due to the rapid digitization of the market. As a whole, candidates are getting more and more accustomed to a more efficient and higher quality recruitment process. According to a whitepaper published by the Robert Walters Group, around 65% of candidates are put off by lengthy recruitment.
Another paper published by Deloitte states that around 83% of candidates who have a negative recruitment experience can often change their minds about a role or a company that they once liked. What these numbers tell us is that a long and awkward recruitment process will do more harm than good. This is not just speaking in terms of your candidate pool, but also your employer brand. Having said that, in this blog, we will have a look at a few different ways to improve your recruitment process strategy in 2022.
How Do You Define Efficiency in the Recruitment Process
Efficiency in the recruitment process is both fast and easy for all parties involved. This means it should be a seamless experience between and for the candidate and hiring manager. If you were to define it further, an efficient process would be one where automation takes care of the manual tasks and saves on administrative time. An efficient process is also one that has the right timing. It collects the necessary information at the required time so no one wastes theirs.
At the end of the day, there might be a million different ways to make the recruitment process more efficient. However, the truth of the matter is, it all begins with having the right technology.
Simplifying the recruitment process is one of the best ways to make things more efficient.
#1 Maintain a Common Core for Your Information
Let’s be honest, the usual way that recruitment processes unfold is by having candidates apply through a job site. As the hiring manager, you download their information, shortlist them and add them to a spreadsheet. Once all that is done you feed it into the screening software you use. In this day and age, this is too clunky. It leaves candidate information everywhere and becomes a chaotic mess that you need a whole team of people to track at times.
A good place to start is by integrating some form of Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Think of it like a storage core where you keep all your candidate information. It’s like a one-stop-shop. This way, you eliminate the need for multiple excel sheets and keep things streamlined for yourself and the candidate. No information will be lost, candidates won’t miss crucial emails and you can close unwanted candidates off from the process with higher efficiency.
You can judge the quality of the ATS based on how well it integrates with other recruitment technologies like your automated reference checking software.
#2 Accept the Power of Automation
Automation is a modern luxury that allows recruiters to work smarter and not harder. They can put their skills to use where it matters rather than spending hours phone-screening candidates. Once you have the right automation technology on your side, you will be able to shortlist candidates more efficiently. This means you don’t have to spend days or even weeks working your way through a thousand different applications and resumes.
Rather, you just need to call the candidates who were shortlisted and select the best from that crowd. Easier shortlisting means less time to hire and better quality of candidates seeing as the recruiter is free to use their talents where it matters most. Once again, as we mentioned before this should ideally integrate with your ATS as well.
"Efficiency is doing better what is already being done."
Peter Drucker, Austrian-American Educator
#3 Check Scalability and Compatibility of Technologies
So far, we have talked about the implementation of technology. This point is more about making sure you implement the right technology. With the arrival of the pandemic and everyone shifting to remote work, practically overnight, it was a big change. Companies grabbed the first recruitment automation solution they could get their hands on. However, with remote work looking like it will be a possible constant in the future, it’s time to adopt technologies that will scale up with your business.
Ask yourself if the technology adds value to the process and what ROI you get from it. What are its limitations? Is it available 24/7? Can you integrate it with your existing systems or expand it as necessary? These questions will help determine if you are choosing the right product for your specific business needs. If you suddenly have to hire a huge influx of candidates you don’t want to be left stranded because you need to update your strategy or tech stack.
#4 Keep Experimenting
Experimenting doesn’t just mean checking all your processes all the time. It means to change things up a little! If you usually recruit at the end of the process, try doing it at the beginning! This is a great way to shortlist a group of strong candidates and it saves a ton of time. It can also help you lock down top talent fast as the due diligence will be done early on in the process.
Another thing you could do is pre-screen all your eligible candidates at the beginning of the recruitment process. It will allow you to evaluate more candidates in half the time. This means that you get to work with a wider talent pool and more data efficiently. There is also the added benefit of reduced human bias.
Constantly testing and experimenting will help you improve your overall recruitment process and candidacy funnel. Remember, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel or anything, just small changes can go a long way. Following these steps can help make the process easier and of higher quality, which is what you need in the modern job market as an employer.
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Hiring Metrics You Should be Tracking in 2022
Hiring Metrics You Should be Tracking in 2022
“It is much more difficult to measure nonperformance than performance.”
- Harold S. Geneen, Ex-President of ITT Corporation
Attracting high-quality candidates seems to be one of the biggest challenges that hiring managers face these days. To help drive the odds in their favour, one would measure and track certain hiring metrics. These metrics serve the purpose of acting as indicators. They show you where you stand in terms of success. They also show how much you have to grow and the changes you need to make to get there. Keep in mind that there are plenty of hiring metrics to track when attempting to capture the cream of the crop. However, some metrics are more important than others.
Determining which ones are more important depends to how your business defines success. Having said that, for growing businesses, it can be tough to know which metrics to prioritize. Hence, we have put together a list of hiring metrics for you that you need in 2022. Regardless of the direction your business might go in, these indicators can be applied to a variety of scenarios!
Hiring Metrics #1: Hires per Month
Hires per month and headcount growth is some of the most universal metrics when it comes to recruitment. Tracking your hires per month is essential. It tells you how many people your company hires on an average monthly basis. On the other hand, the headcount growth is a figure that you can aim for over a period of time- sort of like a recruitment goal.
By having these two metrics measured and tracked side-by-side you can have hard facts that tell you how well you are performing. You could have just one of those metrics, but having both works together is ideal. This is especially good for a business that plans to consistently hire and expand. However, you need to make sure that the growth targets are realistic. Take into account the size and capacity of the hiring team, the market trends, the nature of the role and so on.
The time it takes to interview can be an indicator to different things like candidate quality, time to hire, etc.
Hiring Metrics #2: Cost per Hire
While you track how often you hire people and how many you hire, it’s also important to measure the cost to the business. Remember, labour is not free and quality talent will make a dent in your budget. Now the cost to hire goes beyond just your employee’s salary. You have to take into consideration things like how much you’re paying a hiring agency (if applicable), the cost to be listed on a job board, membership fees for certain networks and so on. In some cases, you might even have to take into consideration the recruit’s relocation costs. All this will tell you how efficient your overall recruitment process is.
Hiring Metrics #3: Average Time per Interview
This metric is often mixed up with time to hire. The truth of the matter is, in the modern hiring landscape, the time to hire is too broad a concept. For example, the time to hire someone as a waiter will not be the same as the time it takes to hire an IT professional. These are two vastly different occupations with different hiring criteria and need to be handled as such. Therefore, having an average measure of time to hire, from the date of advertising the position to filling it, is unrealistic!
A better way to go about it is to measure the average time to interview candidates. This in itself will give you a measure of the time a candidate spends interviewing with your company. It will also give you additional data such as the candidate’s interviewing experience as well as your overall time to hire an individual. It’s a more compartmentalized approach, yet it works quite well for all intents and purposes.
Hiring Metrics #4: Probation Pass Percentage
Hiring a candidate that doesn’t stick around is a drain on your company’s time and resources. It is therefore all the more surprising how few companies consider post-hiring performance as an effective hiring metric. This is where the probation period comes in handy. By measuring the percentage of candidates that pass the probation, you can efficiently identify whether you’re hiring the right candidate. It will also give you a better idea of what kind of candidate might best fit the company culture and the quality standards you expect.
Yes, the probation pass numbers are a reflection of the recruitment efforts of your team or the recruitment agency that you employ. However, it is also a measure of the candidate’s willingness and aptitude. If there is a high percentage of candidates that fail the probation period, it could be that you are not hiring the right people or their skills aren’t measuring up to your expectations. In which case, you need to set clearer expectations and communicate the same when hiring. This metric is a good indicator of how to best alter the recruitment strategy.
Hiring Metrics #5: Measure Percentage of Inbound Hires
This is an important one. As a business with a working recruitment strategy, you need to know the percentage of your inbound hires. That is to say, how many people are approaching you, through the ads or job postings that you have put out. When you track this, you will get an idea of whether your recruitment efforts are reaching the right candidates and job market. If the inbound hires are not up to your expectations, then that means that you’re spending more time reaching out to candidates than they approach you.
Having a huge ratio of outbound hires to inbound hires could mean that the majority of your strategy isn’t reaching the right audience. It could also mean that it is reaching them, but not converting into anything of significance. This hiring metric will tell you how to adjust your advertising strategy and drive your efforts from that point.
There are tons of different metrics to measure your success, but only a few will work for you. Focus only on those!
Hiring Metrics #6: Offer Acceptance Rate
This is one of the more obvious hiring metrics, but a necessary one nonetheless. Of course, you need to track the offer acceptance rate to identify how often you achieve the goal of securing talent. However, you should consider this metric as a primary indicator for other feedback points. If the offer acceptance rate is low, then the hiring experience might be poor, or you could be taking too long to process the candidate. Having said that, you shouldn’t aim for an unrealistic, ‘perfect’ acceptance rate score either. Doing that could take away from the attention you give to the quality of the candidate experience or the candidate themselves. Neither extreme is good for business. Maintaining a 75% to 85% acceptance rate is ideal in most cases.
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