100% Recruitment

Building your HR brand

You need to start out by making preparations internally.

Interviews are more than just an opportunity to find an employee. They are also a means to promote the company itself, although this is often overlooked. That is to say that recruiters and HR managers will often communicate more with potential clients than your sales managers. If your company holds 50 interviews per day, then you will have more than 1, 000 new contacts every month. That's 10, 000 contacts every year! Moreover, these are people that came to your office themselves and are interested in the work you do.

Since they're already there, they may as well learn about what a wonderful company you are, why you're an attractive employer to work for, why your market offering is so incredible and why customers should procure it from you ahead of the rest!

The work of a recruiter is to attract loyal and potential customers, and to establish your employer brand. Employer brands are not created by marketers or copywriters. They are formed on the basis of your efforts day in and day out as you hold interviews. And every employee that is hired contributes to this complex process.

Some companies hold not fifty, but a hundred or even several hundred interviews every day. And the recruiter has to be prepared to present their company in every meeting to ensure the candidate remembers that they were interviewed by their company. The aim is that the candidate and company both have an excellent impression of one another, so the candidate is ready to give his all.

The interview room: make it your home turf

The interview room, the meeting room, call it what you will, is your home turf. It is the pitch on which you play home matches.

One particular client of my agency Business Connection, a bank that is in the top 20 locally, had a problem. Candidates would attend interviews and were considered completely suitable by the recruiter. The bank would make the candidate an offer of work… but the vast majority of these offers were turned down. We were asked to get to the bottom of the situation.

It was impossible to figure out what was going on with just a phone conversation, so I agreed to meet with them at their office. I arrive. I walk in to find a huge open space work area. Almost everyone in there is creating a lot of noise. Someone is eating a hot-dog, someone else is drinking coffee, another employee is yelling into their telephone. I asked my way to the HR department. Over there, comes the response, on the opposite side of the room. So I waled through this bustling, heaving cauldron and reach the HR department and say hello. I'm ready to discuss their issue, if I could just sit down. The girl offers me to «take a seat on that filing cabinet».

I'm taken aback. «You know», she responds, «our bank is growing, every day we have new members of staff, we're opening new offices. We don't have enough space, so you'll have to sit here on that filing cabinet, underneath the palm tree in a metal bucket». Okay, I think to myself, so there's no meeting space but there is enough space for a palm tree. So I sat down on the filing cabinet I was offered and get ready for our discussion. Their recruiter's phone is ringing off the hook and she is constantly being distracted from our meeting. I asked her: «Where do you usually hold interviews?». «Well, we hold them right here» she replies. «On a filing cabinet?», I enquire. «Well, yes, what's wrong with that?»

I didn't need to ask her any more questions. A bank, a fortress of reliability, confidence and stability indeed! How could a candidate possibly want to work here, when the job interview is held while sitting on a filing cabinet on wheels which is constantly moving around underneath you?

So we identified their issue quickly and the situation with their meeting room was soon addressed. Their issue with hiring candidates soon disappeared.

You need to have a dedicated space to hold meetings, a separate meeting room. In a communal space you will simply not get to know a candidate properly. He or she will worry that any passerby could listen in. Psychologically speaking, the candidate will shut up shop. You won't be able to learn what you need to about their salary expectations, for example. It's unrealistic to expect otherwise. The candidate has to feel secure, and bare all to the recruiter, in the same way you would a doctor. Would you go to a dentist in an open space environment? What about if you have a more private ailment?

My colleague from Minsk made a cool meeting room, hanging messages of thanks from the mayor and the president on the walls, along with diplomas and certificates. Candidates were led into the room and left along for a couple of minutes. During this time, what would the candidate do? Read them all carefully, of course. The recruiter was received quite differently as a result.

The walls in your own home can help too.

Do you have a dedicated meeting room? No? Then demand one. It is your tool. As well as a place to calmly make notes and reason upon what you have seen and heard.

Organize the space in the meeting room with a single shared table for you and the candidate to sit around. This is important. A meeting on a soft couch cannot be considered an interview.

Up to 50 % of all HR managers hold interviews «under the palm tree». This is a big no-no.

Sometimes, a company might have a meeting room but recruiters are the last in line to use one, or they might be asked to leave it during the interview itself. This is a matter of building a relationship with the management, as we will discuss further into this book.

Vacancy portrait

So, the sales director runs to the HR manager and cries out:

«I need candidates for sales manager! It's urgent!»

«What kind of sales manager?»

«One with fire in their eyes! What do you mean, don't you know what kind of sales manager we need?»

Does that sound familiar?

If we run off looking for candidates with a brief like that, we might only find one on accident. The techniques we use for candidate search and selection would make no difference whatsoever. A few glasses of whisky can put fire in your eyes, but you can't pour a glass for everyone. So it's the sales director that needs to sober up, and it's the recruiter that has to help him do so.

What does «fire in their eyes» actually mean?

Straight off the bat, this isn't enough information, and secondly it's not something you can quantify. Thirdly, it would certainly be useful if they could do something, aside from having fire in their eyes of course.

Therefore, the job description should be compiled after a detailed discussion during which the HR manager takes on the role of critic. For example, the sales director might say:

«They must have a degree from Moscow State University!»

«Why Moscow State?»

«Intellectuals study there».

«So we need an intellectual sales manager but only if they have a degree from Moscow State?»

«Well, I guess if they're an intellectual then that's sufficient».

«The Institute of Noblewomen also produces perfectly intellectual maidens. So we can accept candidates that have graduated from other uni's, right?»

«You're right, we can».

And so on and so forth, with every different parameter. You need to approach these requirements with a critical eye and weed out anything that's over the top.

We'll discuss the job description later, in the chapter entitled «Searching for Candidates».

Planning and approval of the selection procedure

The owner of an IT company from another town got in touch with me. He needed to find a HR director. When I asked him what his requirements were, he told me that his finance director would fill me in when he arrived in Moscow.

The finance director arrived in Moscow. We met and began discussions, at which point we immediately switched to discussion of the strategic tasks facing their business, how the company planned to grow and what personnel they would require further down the line. He didn't even mention their requirements for this role, saying nothing about their motivation, education, gender or age.

After our discussion, it took me precisely three minutes to put five resumes in front of him. As I was already aware, all the candidates were satisfied with their proposed level of remuneration, had the necessary experience and were absolutely ready to come to an interview. The finance director also liked the candidates.

I got in touch with each of the candidates that very same day, and they confirmed their interest. This happened in April. The first meetings with the employers took place in mid-May after the holidays, while the follow-up took place in June and July. The vacancy was only filled at the end of August. My job took me five minutes (and 15 years of industry experience), while the employer needed five months to thrash out the finer points of the role. It is your responsibility to plan out and to approve the selection procedure. The general manager went on holiday, the commercial director's wife had a baby and then the finance director fell sick. Then as soon as they got back, the candidate goes to America for a training course… But none of this should affect the process.

So, we devise the selection procedure.

All procedures should be recorded on paper in as much detail as possible. No amount of charisma, enthusiasm or a proactive attitude will enable you to control the meetings to suit yourself, the candidate and the company. It can only be regulated by a document, something your company must have. What should the document contain? First and foremost, a timeframe. For example, the recruiter that is holding the interview must provide the manager responsible with information on the candidate no later than two hours after the interview. This means that if you're searching for a sales manager then the head of the sales department should be holding a copy of the candidate's resume along with your notes within two hours of the interview (provided, of course, that the candidate is suitable for your organization).

In turn, the head of sales must determine no later than the following day whether or not they intend to meet with the candidate, and provide a rationale for their decision. It only takes a minute to look through a resume and any member of management can find time for this, regardless of how busy they are. This means that within 24 hours of an interview, you will know whether or not you will be moving forward in the selection process with the candidate.

Unfortunately, it sometimes doesn't work out like this. For a few days in a row, the recruiter asks whether the manager responsible has had a chance to review the resume. «Yes I have», comes the response. «And what do you think?». «I haven't decided yet».

This should not happen. You need an answer within a day, a yes or a no.

What if you're an external personnel manager, working for a recruitment agency, and your client isn't interested in following your instructions?

Of course, you couldn't write this in the contract, this is not just a whim but rather a matter of establishing proper communication. You can make a special internal policy document which will not be a part of the contract but will show the serious approach you take to your work.

«So you want to close the vacancy, and yesterday if possible? Do I understand correctly therefore that in this case you're prepared to meet regularly and provide swift feedback? In order to achieve this, we have developed specific standards. Is this acceptable for you?» This will allow you to enlist the necessary support from the client. You can't force the client to follow your regulations, but you can undoubtedly show how important they are and how they help to get the job done.

If a vacancy needs to be closed and closed yesterday, then the writing is on the wall: the employer will certainly not find the time to meet with you during the coming week. Therefore, after the head of sales has told you that «Yes, I'm ready to meet».

it is essential to have the meeting organized within 48 hours. This is an acceptable time-frame. They must find at least 30 minutes for an introductory meeting within two days. The recruiter must participate in this meeting, to understand which questions have been asked, what the right answers are and it is essential to discuss the candidate immediately after the interview and to layout the next steps, for example, to arrange an interview with other members of management. Make a record of all your discussions!

On one occasion, Business Connection was searching for a branch manager to work in the regions. The industry was very specialist, so there were few candidates. The prospective employers arrived to hold interviews with the candidates we had selected for them. We already knew which one they would choose: the fourth one. It was clear, since he was the ideal candidate. The most important thing was that the candidate should want to work for them.

The interview process is complete, they have spoken with each candidate. «Yes, the fourth candidate is the best. We like him». That's great! Everything fits into place. We know that there are no other specialists on the market that could compete with this candidate. «So, he's suitable for you, shall we make him an offer?»

The answer? «Yes, we liked him but let's keep looking».

Have you encountered a situation like this? Rustam Barnokhodzhaev, one of the leading headhunters in Russia, likes to respond to such cases as follows.

– «Give me five minutes, I'll go find a tramp on the street so you can have another look».

– «What do you mean, tramp? Why a tramp?»

– «Well, you said you wanted to keep looking».

– «We want to see professionals!»

– «You just saw the professionals».

They agree, they nod their heads. But they still turn down the candidate.

«Why are you refusing the candidate?»

«Well, you know… we like him, but… he's not exactly right for us. Yes, he has the experience, he knows the industry, but…»

And here they'll start talking out of their hats and will avoid giving a straight answer. What does an average recruiter do in this situation? They agree, since they don't have the willpower to argue their case further.

Okay, they say, we can search for one that has the right colour buttons on their shirt. So what should an outstanding recruiter do? An outstanding recruiter will get to the bottom of why they turned down the candidate for real.

Let's return to the case of the branch manager. I asked them:

– «Colleagues, if you don't tell us the real reason then we won't find you the right candidate, since we don't have a clue what was wrong with the guy that just left».

– «He was wearing brown shoes. Our general director thinks that top-managers should wear only black shoes, no exceptions. But the candidate showed up wearing brown shoes!»

What would an average recruiter do in this case? Search for a top-manager that wears black shoes…

An outstanding recruiter would take a different approach. He would say:

«There aren't any other candidates as good as that guy, but trust me, when he flies to Moscow to interview with the general director, he'll be wearing brown shoes. There's no other option. Otherwise, you won't have any management in that region at all». And that's exactly what I told them. Of course, we closed the vacancy with that ideal candidate.

So you always need to figure out what the problem is, instead of searching for another candidate before you have a proper understanding of why the last one didn't tick all the boxes.

So finally, we reach the general (or finance, or commercial) director. You can allow up to a week for this, but it's better to restrict it to three days. Of course, you'll hear something like this: «The finance director is on holiday, we can't make a decision without his approval».

So when the finance director is away, does everything at the company just grind to a halt? Payments stop arriving on the bank account, salaries go unpaid? Of course not, somehow the world keeps turning.

Who is in charge then, the deputy director? So let the deputy director hold the interview!

In other words, the second vital thing to regulate is the identity of who should reach a decision in the absence of top management. A business shouldn't stall over just one person.

Naturally, if we're considering a new finance director then it would be illogical to make a decision without the general director. But this is an exception. Trade representatives, logistics managers, accountants and secretaries can be appointed by the deputy director.

The maximum time frame within which the candidate should be told about the outcome should be regulated too, for example, within 3 days of the final interview. How is it often put? «We'll be in touch». «If the answer is positive then we'll get back to you». This is awful.

Three days have passed and you don't make a call, because you have nothing to say. The candidate starts to reach out for an answer, but you avoid taking the call. What is the point in all this stress, if it can be avoided?