|
Welcome to issue 318 of the ukrecruiter newsletter.
| 
|
Please can we ask for your help this week with the UK Recruiter community survey 2007 we are conducting. To complete the survey please click here.
CONTENTS
Visit http://www.careersinrecruitment.com for the latest recruitment industry jobs. |
My Favourites This week it's favourites with a US focus www.spoke.com - ever wondered how to open doors in to US companies? Here's the answer. The data quality's a little on the dirty side but for finding the names that get you through the front door it's a gift. An absolute revelation of a site. www.whitepages.com - thankfully the US don't seem to have succumbed to the hell of 0870 numbers like we have. And this site is just the place for a freebie number search. www.onion.com - they say America's finest news source. I say genius. Of no use whatsoever for research but great for getting you into the right frame of mind to pick the phone up.
Why not submit your 3 favourite web sites. See the guidelines at http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/articles.htm |
Advertisement Staff retention is proving to be a key challenge for employers in the professional services space. But how bad has staff attrition got and what are the primary reasons employees choose to jump ship? Find out by downloading Top-Consultant’s 2007 report (in PDF format) |
Article One: Job Board Review by James Swift, MD at Beyond Interactive Communications Ltd Job Board Name – Supply Chain Online URL – www.supplychainonline.co.uk Key Stats Description First Impression/appearance Navigation The “candidate login” on the homepage could be confusing. You are asked to enter your email address and password, yet there is no obvious way to register here. You actually have to register on a different part of the homepage. Tools on offer for candidates Tools on offer for clients Strengths: Weaknesses: Summary |
Advertisement Fast Track Induction – kick start their career! London – 11th to 13th September Covering the core competencies for recruiters, this course is the very best start for new recruits with little or no industry experience, or perfect for the more experienced to refresh their ideas and working practices. Our renowned, unbeatable, highly interactive three day Fast Track Induction gives your consultants the essential skills and knowledge to start developing a successful, profitable desk…..fast! Exclusive ukrecruiter rate of £795 (+ VAT) applies so book now…call us on 01582 791838 or email julia@landerassociates.co.uk.
|
Article Two: Selecting High Performers by Bob Clifford It is probably safe to say that choosing the right people for the right jobs is important to organisational effectiveness. However, in many organisations, rather than being systematic and based upon sound evidence, the identification of the best recruits is a relatively unstructured and intuitive process. The problem with this approach is that a range of social psychological processes prevent an objective assessment of the candidate. These ‘observational pitfalls’ – which we are all subject to - include first impressions; stereotyping (generalising beliefs about whole groups to group members without further investigation) and projection (which in this instance refers to our inclination to expect similarities between ourselves and others). Structure can be added by developing a ‘competency framework’, for example, which acts as a foundation on which to base all people management processes, in this instance adding objectivity to selection and assessment processes. A substantial body of empirical research supports the notion that some selection methods are more accurate in predicting future high performers than others. Further, evidence has shown that using a combination of selection methods with low inter-correlations (i.e. they are not measuring exactly the same thing in exactly the same way) provides the most accurate assessments. A best practice selection process might well include both ability and personality psychometric tests. The best type of selection process will be reliable, valid (relevant); standardised (consistent) and free from bias (fair). Published research in peer-reviewed journals can indicate the relative psychometric properties of different methods and combinations of methods in general terms, but only by conducting a simple local study can the effectiveness of a particular selection system in a particular organisation be established. HR consultants and occupational psychologists have helped many organisations to develop competency frameworks which form the basis of assessment centres, the ultimate in combined assessment approaches, referred to as ‘multi-trait, multi-method’. Outside of the public sector and the corporate world, though, most organisations are still using the traditional, tried and not-so-trusted methods of CVs; references and unstructured interviews. The reasons why organisations continue to rely upon ineffective assessment methods include: · Reluctance to pay consultancy rates to external providers Finally, looking forward in their major review of the assessment field, Robertson and Smith (2001) stated that it would be desirable for selection systems to be audited. Validating specific selection processes (local validations) are a straightforward matter in instances where a structure has been established and performance criteria agreed upon. The outcome of a study of this type might be that some parts of the process are shown to be highly predictive of job performance, whilst others do not add much and can either be adapted or removed, simplifying the process in so doing. Through local validation it may be discovered that the wrong areas are being focused on in interviews, for example. Best practice then is to ensure the whole selection process is reliable, relevant, consistent and fair, which in turn will ensure that the best candidates are most likely to be selected, each and every time. There is a substantial body of empirical research to support this assertion. Where do we start? It is crucial to begin the selection process with the question “what are we looking for?” The outputs from this exercise will typically be a job description and a person specification. A job description lists key responsibilities and tasks and a person specification describes the personal behavioural requirements of the job. Common sense and a little thought are the main requirements for conducting worthwhile job analysis. For example, job descriptions should state clearly the tasks involved in the role, but not simply list every task, regardless of its frequency or importance. And person specifications should not use vague, meaningless adjectives such as ‘hard working’ and ‘committed’ – all employers want employees like that! Instead, the person specification should be based around the key attainments, achievements and behavioural requirements of the job and can therefore be used to identify selection criteria. Once selection criteria have been established, candidates should be assessed against them at every stage of the selection process. This can help ensure that the process is fair and reduce the impact of the assumptions that we all naturally make, based upon social psychological processes such as stereotypes and generalisations.
References |
Advertisement Get all the best leads delivered direct to your inbox… There’s a new system from Innovantage every recruiter should know about. Each week Insight collects jobs posted across over 375,000 direct employer websites and sends the ones you want direct to your inbox - accelerating lead generation and business development for Recruitment Agencies, Job Boards and Media Owners. And thanks to their partner Market Location, you have access to full contact details, employee numbers, financials and more. Insight helps you better understand your clients and win more business. Register your interest today at www.innovantage.co.uk/trial and you’ll wonder how you did without it. |
Don't Miss This (sponsored by http://www.alljobsUK.com "The UK’s Jobs Portal") UK Recruiter community survey 2007 Discount on Lander Associates course Lawspeed Seminar 25th July - confirmation of contact details HR Directors Business Summit 2008, 29th-30th January 2008, Hilton Birmingham Metropole, UK Discount on SkillCheck from MCS This section is sponsored by http://www.alljobsUK.com "The UK’s Jobs Portal" |
|
Discussion Board Summary Don't forget to visit The Discussion Board. Current topics on the site include:
Any postings you or anyone else makes will be included in the weekly digest. Sign up for the free digest here or hit reply to ask me to include your email address It is free to use the discussion board and you don't have to register to view messages. Visit the site, ask questions and share your knowledge |
Online Recruitment Update (sponsored by http://www.broadbean.co.uk for "the UK's favourite job posting system") Press Release: Service Levels Win Over Recruiters Hitwise top 10 Recruitment
Sites, week ending 7th July 2007 Louise's UK Recruiter blog You can read Louise's UK Recruiter blog at http://ukrecruiter.typepad.com You can keep up to date with other the recruitment blogs from the UK via the UK Recruiter - blog watch page at http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/blogs.htm. Employmentbuddy.com resource Press Release: Jobsite and The Big Green Switch partner This section is sponsored by http://www.broadbean.co.uk; "the UK's favourite job posting system". |
Please forward this newsletter on to any colleagues or recruitment friends who you think might like to receive the newsletter. It's free for them to sign up - all they need do is complete the form below.
Regards
Louise Triance
UK Recruiter http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk
Subscribe Don't forget to let your colleagues know about this newsletter. Anyone can subscribe - it's completely free of charge - all they need to do to receive their own copy of the ukrecruiter newsletter is complete our simple form Unsubscribe To unsubscribe from the ukrecruiter newsletter please reply to this message with the subject line "unsubscribe". |
Feedback Please feel free to email me your comments on the newsletter: the sort of articles you like, the sort you don't read, new features you'd like to see, etc. Feedback from everyone is always welcome! |
Advertising If you are interested in advertising a product, service or internet site in the newsletter please contact me by email |
|
If you want see back issues of the newsletter visit http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/recnet NOTE: This newsletter may be copied and distributed free of charge in its entirety. Individual sections may NOT be copied or distributed without the prior written agreement of louise@ukrecruiter.co.uk. Copyright (c) 2007, UK Recruiter Ltd |