Same old story, when there is a shortage of candidates companies are happy to pick the best of a bad lot. When there are too many they look for shortcuts or waste time blundering through the masses of responses, while the good guys out there just get on with it and get a new job. The best candidates are rarely on the shelf for long. Typically they are gone after 4 weeks, unless they have decided to give themselves a well deserved break.
Why do companies make such a mess of recruitment. I blame it on the "Hand of god" syndrome. This syndrome afflicts most managers and it is based on the belief that on promotion to managerial status, some greater power reaches down from the heavens to touch the head of the special one and confer on them omniscitent powers management.
Ignorance is bliss. If you are not concerned about the bottom line, survival or growth, then any old recruitment process will be good enough. But if you are really in business to do good business, then it is like any other business transaction. If you don't do it right, you are going to get screwed.
There are many right ways to hire and there is a best way for any business. I've seen them all, the good the bad and the ugly. You have got to be able to adapt to the market and you have got to be able to put your hand up and call for help if your current approach isn't doing the business for you. Your accountant or FD will thank you for it if he or she is any good.
Recruitment and staff turnover costs are rarely measured, but savings made go straight to the bottom line. But you are better off not putting the cart before the horse and cutting costs before you have a reliable process in place to make sure you are actually going to contribute positively to the business. Pick the right people and you are on a winner, pick the wrong people and you may never realise why your business continues to struggle.
