Hiring the right people with organisation vision
Attracting best–in-class talent is a long-drawn process and Organisations need to put in a lot of efforts for it. Factors such as the Brand image, HR policies, and Financial health of the company attract the right talent, says Manoj Pandey.
Manoj is an Electronics Engineer and a Post Graduate in HR from XLRI, Jamshedpur. He has over 20 years’ experience in Managing Human Resource Functions for Indian as well as multi-national companies.
Q. In the corporate world, a lot of hiring mistakes happen because of improper, incomplete and inefficient interviewing. Your views?
Yes, that’s the bitter truth. Unavailability of structured Hiring Process, Hiring decisions taken in haste and poor competence levels of hiring managers are other reasons behind it. All stake holders need to realise that a hiring mistake can cost very heavily to an organisation. Unfortunately Line managers do not spend adequate time on hiring process which, in my point of view, is their most important job.
Q. What are the tools to identify, evaluate and attract the right people for the right job?
Attracting best–in-class talent is a long-drawn process and Organisations need to put in a lot of efforts for it. Factors such as the Brand image, HR policies, and Financial health of the Company attract the right talent. Once you have a good bunch of talented people willing to work for you, a combination of well constructed interviews & carefully designed psychometric tests (depending upon the need) may help you in getting the right people on board. Continuous skill upgradation of interviewing panel including HR Talent Acquisition Team is also very critical for selecting the right people.
Q. Should hiring decisions also be based on the corporate mission?
Yes. Hiring decision should be based on Vision, Mission & Values of the Organisation. At AWL, we make this crystal clear and ensure that our line managers fully understand and imbibe this. They, in turn, ensure that the hiring of prospective Adorians is based on this ethos.
Q. What could be the leadership tenets every employee could be asked to subscribe?
Though it varies from Organisation to Organisation, we can ask our employees to subscribe to certain leadership tenets like Drive for results, Fairness, Integrity, Interpersonal skills, etc. Our Competency model clearly articulates leadership skills which we look at every level.
Q. How important is job description to the candidates and what could be its components?
Job description is vital for all candidates. In AWL, apart from mentioning basic components such as Knowledge, Skills, Competencies, Qualification, Age, Experience, Role, Responsibility, etc, we also mention the growth opportunity available with every job, vertically as well as horizontally.
Q. What are the different stages of the hiring process?
At AWL, our hiring Process includes careful screening of candidates in line with the Job description, followed by two rounds of functional interviews and one round of HR interview, done by a panel. Shortlisted candidates then go through a home-grown psychometric assessment. Successful candidate’s credentials are then checked by a background verification agency before issuing offer for employment.
Q. How should one structure the selection interview?
Like candidates, Interviewers should also prepare themselves thoroughly for an effective interview. A well defined Job description and structured functional / behavioural questions based on the required competencies can certainly help.
Q. How can we uncover deception to avoid hiring wrong people?
To avoid internal-deception/bias, a panel rather than individual should conduct Competency based interviews. To identify deceptive candidates, an external agency can be engaged to conduct background verification as well as for reference checks.
Q. What are the advantages and disadvantages of building talent within?
Building Talent within is certainly beneficial and a satisfying experience for Organisation as well as Employees. Success story of internally groomed Talent inspires employees and creates a belief amongst them. Building talent internally is a long-term process and its dividends are certainly very rich. However, there are occasions when Organisation needs fresh perspective/experienced talent and the same should not be compromised.
Q. How do you manage talent nurturing in your organisation?
At AWL, we do have a clear-cut Talent Management Policy which encompasses all finer details associated with Talent Life Cycle. It starts with identifying Talent (Internal/External), assigning them challenging roles, ensuring their well-being, growth and most importantly the engagement. Our MD himself reviews the regular process of Talent Management. We also have a Talent Management Committee that keeps a close watch on the overall Life Cycle Management of the critical talent.
