“If you want to ruin the truth, stretch it. ~Author Unknown”
Dimensions International’s (DDI) latest global research on hiring trends has yielded some fascinating results. The study, titled “Global Selection Forecast 2012”, including responses from more than 250 staffing directors and 2,000 new hires from 28 countries, was conducted in partnership with Oracle.
In a Globe & Mail article published late last month, Scott Erker, senior vice-president for DDI’s selection solutions and the study’s co-author, said in a release: “There is a great paradox in that both unemployment and the number of open positions hover at uncomfortably high levels – and simultaneously, organizations and candidates are shaky about the decisions they made in staffing and accepting roles this year.”
The issue of accountability on all sides is the question. Employers need to be clear about their recruitment needs and communicate their objectives up front. Otherwise, everyone loses. The new hirer takes on the position without knowing all the requirements and the employer scrambles to communicate them after the fact. Or worse, businesses find themselves going through the expensive proposition of re-hiring.
In addition, the research also revealed that that only 51 per cent of new hires are confident in their decision to accept a new job, often because the hiring process doesn’t paint a true picture of the work, the department and the company.
The interviewer needs to be completely comfortable in their role, asking the right questions while digging deep to ensure that the candidate is most suitable for the position. Unfortunately, the study found that less than 30 per cent of staffing directors felt satisfied with their interviewer-training program.
Who is speaking up and who is taking the lead? Without owning their respective truths, individuals and organizations will pay an emotional and financial price. Whether it is the interviewer who doesn’t know how to ask the right questions, or an organization that does not prepare management for the critical recruitment phase by equipping everyone an accurate description of the “big picture”, or the he employee who regrets taking a position in a tight economy in order to get by, the lack of accountability begins with authenticity and honesty on all sides.
Photo credit: “Businessman Handshake” by twobee
