Is it easier to hire great people in a recession?

[Moz]

I would be interested to hear how those of you who are hiring are finding the process.

Actually I'd like to qualify that. In particular I'm interested in hearing from those who have very high hiring standards, those of you for whom near enough is not good enough.

Is it getting any easier to hire great people?

Or are there the same or even fewer great people applying and they are being masked by a flood of CVs from mediocre candidates.

Please share your experience and please state what skill sets your recent hiring experience applies to.

[michaelakassar]

Hi Moz,

While recruiting during a recession can be easier due to the tight job market, it also depends on the industry you work in and the jobs you are hiring. There are some jobs that no one wants to do even in a recession (I work in an organisation that employs mostly carers).

If you are having trouble finding the right people you might want to consider the following:

You may need to look at whether your expectations are realistic. While some types of work have little or no room for error due to mistakes being very costly (medical, legal, finance, construction, mining etc), there are also many instances where you can employ people with less experience and develop them through good mentoring programs. This will give you the opportunity to see if they really have potential or if they are just plain not suited to your organisation or the position. If they are not suited to their current role, you may want to see if they are suited to another position. Of course, you could also argue that opportunities to move around would be based on satisfactory work performance.

Also, there may be candidates who are not suited to the position you currently have on offer, but may be able to contribute to your organisation in another capacity. Make sure you look at their application carefully, and assess their performance at interview. A good HRIS should allow you to store applicant/candidate info for future use (I'm not an I.T expert sorry).

Additionally, have a look at what you have to offer workers besides a salary once employed. Benefits can include flexible work hours, performance based pay systems, Time off In Lieu instead of overtime, Deferred Salary, Purchased Leave, study leave options, extra duties/responsibilities when work performance is good, acting roles and opportunities for advancement for good performers, professional development etc....

As well as providing good benefits, your Performance Management System should provide for both reaistic and challenging performance measures. If you set goals/targets that few can achieve then you may lose valuable people. At the same time, make sure that you don't accept consistently poor work either. Make sure that both individual and team performance measures are in line with the organisation's objectives.

A good recognition system is also a way to attract better peope to your organisation, as people like to be recognised for a job well done (both formally and informally).

Recruitment and retention are closely related, there is no point in hiring great people if they leave after a short time.

Everything depends on your industry as well as your HR strategies. All HR strategies, policies, practices, and procedures should enable the HR area to do it's bit to achieve the organisation's strategy and business objectives.

Hope this helps



Cheers
Michaela

[BriscoeSearch]

I agree Michaela.

Often the highly skilled are just as difficult to find in recessionary times.

[Mark D]

Moz, for us it has varied depending on the type of role. You're absolutely correct that there are a flood of CVs from mediocre candidates, and many candidates who are obviously applying for anything, shotgun style, just trying to get a job. Specific skillsets are still quite difficult to source, although there are some occupational groups where it's been a lot easier for us to fill vacancies since Christmas.

Short answer - yes and no :-)