India has a large and constantly growing potential workforce across different disciplines. So is matching the right job with the right candidate an easy task? No, it isn’t. More often than not, the hiring process turns out to be very complicated and results in sub-standard staff joining the workforce. Here we discuss some of the top recruiting problems encountered in India.
1. Quality of candidates
The desired quality of candidates is determined by the demands and requirements of a job. The best way to evaluate candidates is to identify the required traits, competencies, skill-sets and personality-related competencies, if any. These can be used as guidelines during the interview process to evaluate potential candidates.
A team of interviewers: candidate screening process
http://careermoves2000.com/img/interview-shake-hands.png
2. Knowledge-level
It is important to understand a candidate’s level of expertise in the context of the job being applied for. Written evaluation tests are often a good test of subject matter expertise. Resources spent in developing such test material are well worth the effort.
Is the candidate a fit?
http://www.peoplehunt.com.au/images/client2.jpg
3. Communication skills
College graduates and even seasoned members of the workforce are not always the best communicators. Skillfully constructed tests for both oral and written communication can be used to assess a potential employee’s communication skills.
Written tests measure a candidate’s proficiency
http://tredway.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/test_taking1.jpg
4. Jobs vs. careers
Some jobs more than others are treated as stepping stones to bigger and better things HR must address this issue heads-on. The career path and progression must be communicated to candidates during the initial stages itself in order to give them confidence and have a good feeling about the job. This will reduce staff attrition in the long run.
Effectively communicate career path to reduce attrition
http://i.ehow.com/images/a04/ji/cr/increase-self-worth-job-security-200X200.jpg
5. Skills
Skill sets can be broadly classified into technical, communications, human relations, leadership and organization and work survival – the day to day skills. HR must use methods to assess specific skill-sets in order to identify good candidates.
Multi-faceted skill sets boost employee confidence and make them great assets
http://www.fastforword.com.au/SiteMedia/
w3svc920/Uploads/Images/MAPS.jpg
6. Candidate screening
Fake work experience proofs, exaggerated qualifications and false references are some common examples of unscrupulous means used by some candidates. A company should take a lot of effort to ensure that proper screening is done. Background checks, educational qualifications and even drug testing are some of the routine checks employed.
Thorough screening is required to judge the quality of candidates
http://lawyerlandings.com/Portals/0/inside%
20the%20candidate%20profile%20.jpg
7. Pre-hire testing
The use of screening and online assessment tests has evolved in the recent times. There are many assessment companies that work with the client to come up with customized tests and even administer them. This helps streamline hiring, reduces recruiting and training costs, and improves corporate performance.
Inflation hits everyone, especially when they mention their salaries. To top it off, B-schools frequently quote higher than normal numbers in their reports, taking averages through the roof. An HR person must be very aware of the ‘going-rate’ for a candidate based on their qualifications and skills.
Accurate assessment of a candidate’s worth is the key to reduce an employee’s ‘shopping around’ for other jobs
http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/
cartoonists/mas/lowres/masn81l.jpg
9. Lack of standardization in schools and universities
The tech-boom brought with it a vast student population that wanted to study engineering, specifically computer engineering. This and other reasons led to a large number of universities and deemed universities being started. Though their curriculums follow university norms, the way knowledge is disseminated differs greatly. Hence it is not correct to assume that a candidate with a required degree actually has all the knowledge needed. Further testing is required in those cases. This again, helps with the quality of the workforce.
Candidates must be benchmarked differently
http://www.sagennext.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/National-Standards-IC.jpg
10. Training and Attrition
Attrition and employee retention have become major threats for HR professionals. The main reasons employees leave are monotonous tasks, odd working hours, lack of growth and higher salaries to name a few. Most employees that want to leave are people that the company has already invested heavily in. Training, travel, knowledge of systems and clients are some of the investments that go into each employee. When a valuable employee leaves, it costs a company twice as much to replace them. Competitive compensation packages, performance incentives such as bonuses and stock options and excellent interpersonal relationships go a long way in employee retention.
Training and good compensation packages help decrease attrition rates
http://www.pigbelly.com/blog2/uploaded_images/training-755237.gif
Editor's note: Most articles submitted to Chillibreeze go through a selection process. Only 30 percent of submitted articles are accepted for publication on the Chillibreeze.com featured article list. All accepted articles are edited and proofread for glaring errors of punctuation and grammar. Sentence structure is changed in certain cases and sometimes, entire sections are rewritten. If you notice any errors that have slipped through the cracks, do let us know! (Email us at info at chillibreeze dot com).
Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in November, 2010. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.
Out of 5 “chilies”, our editorial team gave this article...
—About our writer:
Rekha Raghunathan is an MBA graduate with eight years work experience in financial analytics, sales and marketing. As part of her role in Reuters America, she has put together training manuals and product user guides for clients. Writing has been her long-standing passion along with sports, books and music. A home-maker at the moment, she is currently based out of Bengaluru.
>> Read more articles written by Chillibreeze writers:
Chillibreeze offers Indian writers the opportunity to work on customer projects. We are also India’s biggest writer network and a one-stop shop for Indian writers and editors. The writers’ section on Chillibreeze offers freelance writers and editors a variety of tools to advance their careers. Resources for writers include:
