How to Improve your Selection and Recruitment Process

Part 3 of 11 of the CompetencyCore^TM Guide to Recruitment & Selection

This is the third in a 11 part series that looks at:

1. The Business Case
2. Key Advantages of Competency-based Selection
3. How Competencies Improve Selection
4. Top 3 Features of Best Practice Recruitment and Selection - #1
5. Top 3 Features of Best Practice Recruitment and Selection - #2
6. Top 3 Features of Best Practice Recruitment and Selection - #3
7. Common Tools: Job Postings & Behavioral Interviews
8. Common Tools: Track Record Review and Reference Checks
9. Common Tools: Standardized Tests, Part 1
10. Common Tools: Standardized Tests, Part 2
11. Tips for Implementing a Recruitment and Selection System

How Competencies Improve the Selection and Recruitment Process
Competencies are developed and validated with experts who know and understand the requirements for successful job performance.  They reflect the true requirements for good job performance and all selection and assessment tools are designed based on these requirements.  Competency-based selection, therefore, provides a means for reducing error in the selection process, thereby increasing the likelihood of getting a more reliable and accurate assessment of the candidate’s true capability to perform successfully.

Error is defined as the evaluation of candidate characteristics that are not related to job performance.  Error can result from poorly defined assessment criteria and / or not applying the assessment criteria appropriately. The more “error” is eliminated from this equation, the more reliable will be the rating, and the more likely it will be that the predictions about later candidate performance are accurate.

This is particularly relevant in the selection interview.  Until recently, the interview was thought to be a poor selection technique with relatively low predictive capability compared to other selection methods. However, researchers have found that the validity of the interview can be greatly improved by developing structured, systematic selection criteria and processes for selection that are based on clearly defined job requirements.

Competencies provide a clear definition of those requirements that lead to successful outcomes on the job.  They support the selection principles of fairness, equity and transparency.

• Fair: Decisions are made objectively, free from patronage, and reflect just treatment for all employees and applicants.
• Equitable: There is equal access to employment opportunities and selection and hiring practices decisions are free from systemic and attitudinal barriers.
• Transparent: There is open communication between the organization and employees / applicants about selection standards, processes and decisions.

Legislative and Regulatory Environment
In many jurisdictions around the world there are laws and rules around what can be said and done as part of the recruitment and selection process. Often privacy regulations constrain the type of interview questions to be asked. Criteria that are irrelevant to successful performance may be deemed “discriminatory” (e.g., race, religion, gender, sexual orientation) and prohibited under law. In many countries, legislation may exist to correct for past inequities for certain groups, or there may be laws that encourage increasing the representation of certain groups.

Organizations embarking on a recruitment and selection campaign must familiarize themselves with the regulatory environment for the jurisdiction in which they are located. Competency based systems that are related strictly to the requirements of the job are generally non- discriminatory and can be shown to be defensible in most jurisdictions.

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The next blog in this series examines the top features of a best practice recruitment and selection program. Sign up to our blog’s mailing list through the form on the right-hand side to receive the rest of the series in your inbox.

HRSG is a leader in competency-based recruitment and selection solutions and training. Contact us today to find out how we can help you.

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Want to learn more? Download a Best Practice Guide to Improve the Effectiveness of your Interviewing Processes
Compared to unstructured interview approaches, the behavioral interview approach greatly increases your chances of making the best selection decisions. Download this guide to learn how to interview candidates to gather critical information about candidates’ past performance and accomplishments that you can use to predict their performance and accomplishments in the job that you are filling.

Key Advantages of Using Competencies for Recruitment & Selection

Part 2 of 11 of the CompetencyCore^TM Guide to Recruitment & Selection

This is the second in a 11 part series that looks at:

1. The Business Case
2. Key Advantages of Competency-based Selection
3. How Competencies Improve Selection
4. Top 3 Features of Best Practice Recruitment and Selection - #1
5. Top 3 Features of Best Practice Recruitment and Selection - #2
6. Top 3 Features of Best Practice Recruitment and Selection - #3
7. Common Tools: Job Postings & Behavioral Interviews
8. Common Tools: Track Record Review and Reference Checks
9. Common Tools: Standardized Tests, Part 1
10. Common Tools: Standardized Tests, Part 2
11. Tips for Implementing a Recruitment and Selection System

How Competencies Support Recruitment & Selection

Using a competency-based  approach has been scientifically proven to result in more efficient recruitment and selection processes, reduced costs and more productive, successful and engaged employees.

Incorporating a competency-based recruitment and selection approach permits the creation of job competency profiles or models that provide a comprehensive set of standards against which candidates can be screened and assessed.  These standards can include not only the hard skill requirements like education and technical / professional competencies, but also the harder to measure attributes that are so important for success on the job, like the ability to operate effectively in a team environment, initiative, concern for client / customers, results achievement, etc.

“Competency” is a term that describes a pattern or cluster of actions taken to achieve a result. Competencies demonstrate the following key features:

• They describe the abilities, skills, knowledge, motivations or other traits required in the job
• They are required for effective or successful performance of the job or task
• They are defined in terms of observable behaviors, and therefore can be assessed or measured.

Advantage of Using Competencies

Organizations use competencies to define the selection criteria for performance success.  They provide the framework for identifying and / or designing competency-based tools and processes for evaluating candidates and making job-related, reliable, valid, fair and systematic selection and hiring decisions.

More specifically, competencies support recruitment and selection by:

• Providing valid, fair and job-related standards against which to assess applicant competencies to perform in the targeted role / job;
• Improving the transparency of the selection process by clearly communicating the behaviors employees must display for success in the role / job;
• Serving as the foundation for the design of a well-designed, efficient and effective recruitment and selection processes;
• Creating efficiencies by providing re-usable selection tools and processes (e.g., question banks for interviews and reference-checking organized by competency; template interview and reference checking guides; targeted role plays, work simulations, in-basket assessments; etc.);
• Providing explicit, clear and transparent criteria on which to give candidates feedback on their performance in the selection process (e.g., input for future learning and development; etc.); and,
• Providing standards for evaluating the success of the selection process - e.g., correlating the results of the selection process with competency-based on-the-job performance.

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The next blog in this series examines how to improve recruitment & selection processes by using competencies. Sign up to our blog’s mailing list through the form on the right-hand side to receive the rest of the series in your inbox.

HRSG is a leader in competency-based recruitment and selection solutions and training. Contact us today to find out how we can help you.

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Want to learn more? Download a Best Practice Guide to Improve the Effectiveness of your Interviewing Processes
Compared to unstructured interview approaches, the behavioral interview approach greatly increases your chances of making the best selection decisions. Download this guide to learn how to interview candidates to gather critical information about candidates’ past performance and accomplishments that you can use to predict their performance and accomplishments in the job that you are filling.

Making the Case: Competency-based Recruitment and Selection

Part 1 of 11 of the CompetencyCore^TM Guide to Recruitment & Selection

This is the first in a 11 part series that looks at:

1. The Business Case
2. Key Advantages of Competency-based Selection
3. How Competencies Improve Selection
4. Top 3 Features of Best Practice Recruitment and Selection - #1
5. Top 3 Features of Best Practice Recruitment and Selection - #2
6. Top 3 Features of Best Practice Recruitment and Selection - #3
7. Common Tools: Job Postings & Behavioral Interviews
8. Common Tools: Track Record Review and Reference Checks
9. Common Tools: Standardized Tests, Part 1
10. Common Tools: Standardized Tests, Part 2
11. Tips for Implementing a Recruitment and Selection System

It has been long understood and proven through research that the better the match between employee competencies and job requirements, the more productive and engaged the workforce and the more successful the organization.

Most managers have experienced a “bad hire” or the constant churn of employees because of a poor fit between employee capabilities and the organization’s culture and requirements.  As a result, senior leadership often gives top priority to the recruitment and selection process with the goal of attracting and retaining capable and quality talent.

Organizations often invest heavily to achieve branding as an employer of choice through such means as the corporate website, print and e-advertising, exhibitions and job fairs, conferences, not to mention the time and efforts of numerous professionals and managers who set up, manage and participate in the recruitment and selection process.  Despite all this, organizations often fail to plan and organize their recruitment and selection processes in such a way as to gain the best return on their investment.

This series focuses on best practices and ways to maximize the value of recruitment and selection investments, through competency-based recruitment and selection processes that are efficient, reliable, and fair, and deliver the best candidates.

Some Facts and Figures
The Conference Board (2012) reports that the top two business issues CEOs care about right now are innovation and human capital (Conference Board, 2012).  In a survey of HR Executives, talent acquisition was rated as the number one challenge, with talent retention ranking sixth on the list (HR Executive Census, 2012).  Further, only 18% of HR professionals indicate that their companies have enough talent to meet the organization’s future leadership needs (Hogan Assessments, 2012).

On a more positive note, there is compelling evidence that Competency-based Talent Management (CbTM) offers a solution to these challenges.  Analysts note that 63% of best-in-class organizations¹  use a single competency model throughout their talent and workforce management processes, and are more than twice as likely to identify competency data (skills, knowledge, attributes, behaviors) for each employee(Aberdeen, 2009).

Early research (Spencer, 2001) showed that CbTM can have a huge return on investment with improvements in employee performance and productivity that go directly to the bottom-line (e.g., 19% improvement in employee performance, 12.5% in sales and profits).  These results are borne out by more recent research showing that organizations deploying CbTM achieve:

• 26% higher revenue per employee,
• 87% greater ability to “hire the best people”, and
• 92% greater ability to “respond to changing economic conditions” (Bersin, 2010).

The case, therefore, is very strong for a significant impact on organization performance with the implementation of a competency-based approach for managing talent, starting with recruiting and selecting new hires, and then managing and developing employees against the job competencies required for success throughout their careers.

¹Best-in-class organizations are defined as those performing better than others based on several key performance indicators, including financially.

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The next blog in this series examines key advantages of using competencies for recruitment & selection. Sign up to our blog’s mailing list through the form on the right-hand side to receive the rest of the series in your inbox.

HRSG is a leader in competency-based recruitment and selection solutions and training. Contact us today to find out how we can help you.

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Want to learn more? Download a Best Practice Guide to Improve the Effectiveness of your Interviewing Processes
Compared to unstructured interview approaches, the behavioral interview approach greatly increases your chances of making the best selection decisions. Download this guide to learn how to interview candidates to gather critical information about candidates’ past performance and accomplishments that you can use to predict their performance and accomplishments in the job that you are filling.

Observations on the Annual HR Technology® Conference & Expo

On October 8 and 9 2012 I had the privilege of attending one of the largest HR related conferences in North America. This was quite an experience with over 200 vendors displaying their HR Technology wares.

Under the guidance of David Vickrey, Gotham Growth (http://gothamgrowth.com/) I took the opportunity to cruise the booths and meet potential partners offering solutions that align with CompetencyCore^TM.

The trip was worth it. I met many companies interested in our solution and we are pursuing discussions with a number of big names companies in the Talent Management space. In fact, one notable difference between this conference and others I have attended is that vendors, sponsors and analysts are not only welcome, the organizers shine spotlights on them, and give attendees plenty of time to review and examine what is on the market.

One of my observations based on discussions with analysts, vendors as well as consumers is that Competency-based Talent Management (CbTM), while not entirely new, is now coming of age and is being accepted as a standard best practice by a large number of companies. The other thing I learned is that there are few solutions on the market that can support a fully implemented competency framework configured to company needs. One of the best-known analysts in this space, Bersin & Associates, validated that CompetencyCore^TM has something unique to offer. No other solution provides the breadth of competency libraries that cover a range of verticals in the market (e.g., Oil & Gas, ICT, Sales and Marketing, and many more). As such, CompetencyCore^TM offers a one-stop solution to meet your competency needs. And no other company provides a solution that allows organizations to configure the software to reflect their unique Competency Architectures.

Finally, unlike other Talent Management software solutions that treat competencies as a peripheral “add-on”, CompetencyCore^TM allows organizations to recruit, assess, provide feedback, promote, plan and manage careers and succession, all based on a consistent and common language and set of standards, the competencies required for success within the organization. As CompetencyCore^TM, President and CEO, it was most gratifying and exciting to have our company vision and solution validated at such a prestigious event. It seems that we actually have “built a better mouse trap”.