Recruiting Rare Talent

Recruiting Rare Talent

17 April 2016

Companies today, large and small, have to deal with many HR related issues and it is becoming increasingly popular to outsource these to an external HR provider. In this case study we look at how bringing in an external Hr consultant brought one particular company the solution they had been unable to reach themselves.
Having been approached by the managing director of a small security company at a networking meeting, Simon was asked for his help in finding a suitable candidate for a vacancy for a CCTV installation engineer the company had been having trouble filling. They had been looking on and off for quite some time, about 6 years, but had struggled to find someone with not only the hardware installation experience they were looking for, but the electronic experience also.

Recruiting Rare Talent

A good, accurate job description was put together by Simon, specifically focusing on the type of person the company was looking for. These were screened as they came in, with only those fitting all the criteria being presented to the company. Among the applications received, was one from an applicant in Greece. Had this application gone straight to the company, it may have been completely disregarded due to the location of the candidate, despite them having the all the relevant skills and experience. The applicant was a perfect match to what the company was looking for, he was technically advanced and came from a family business doing the same thing, only in Greece.

Being aware of the economic situation in Greece, Simon was aware there would be motivation for the applicant to relocate to the UK, and so began email correspondence to ascertain what his needs and desires were before submitting the application to the company.

Because Simon had already had a good conversation with the applicant, he was able to reassure the company about his eligibility to work in the UK and the fact that he could be available in as little as two weeks despite his location, which was actually better than if a candidate was residing in the UK and required to give a months’ notice! The only potential barrier to recruiting overseas is if a work visa is required, but with the applicant residing in the EU, this was not an issue at all.

Setting up the interview required a little ingenuity, but thanks to modern technology, namely skype, Simon was able to set up and conduct a face to face interview with the candidate. This went very well so Simon advised the company on what salary to offer, and the candidate subsequently was offered and accepted the job. Having got to know the candidate throughout the whole process, Simon was also able to offer the company help and advice on welcoming the candidate and helping them to relocate and settle in the UK. The company were absolutely delighted with the outcome and with the services provided by Simon.

For companies looking to use an external HR consultant, there are many benefits, not least of which is the potential financial savings. The cost of getting recruitment wrong can go into thousands resulting in the need to re-recruit if you don’t get the right person in the first place. If a company hasn’t been objective in their recruitment process, resulting in having the wrong people on board, this can also be damaging to clients making the average cost of getting recruitment wrong somewhere between £7000-£10000 in the UK at the moment. So using an external consultant, at a relatively low cost, and utilising their expertise in getting the job description right and also matching the competencies of the applicants with the needs of the company, is the most cost effective way of addressing the recruitment needs of any company.

Using an external HR consultant for recruitment eliminates the possibility of recruiting for emotive reasons, a common mistake companies make is employing someone because they like them, whereas an HR consultant is much more focused on matching an applicants capabilities with a company’s needs. That being said, is it still important to get a good fit of personalities, but if the process of recruitment is done right from the very beginning, getting the job description right, your screening questions and job advert right, roughly 80% of the people applying for that job will be reasonably qualified to do that job. So when you interview, you are really seeing how those people will fit the organisation in terms of culture and team.

By using an HR consultant, even small businesses can have access to corporate level HR and services for a relatively low cost.

The advice given in this case study is relevant for the circumstances this organisation faced and the prevailing employment legislation at that time and should not be taken as general advice.