Recruiters - Don't get stressed out! Use these Tips

Straight to the point.  The expectation from Hiring Managers and prospective Candidates are much higher and they look forward to the Recruiter for a solution for every problem they have.  This is a good situation but not always. Though every Company has its own process and reporting structure, Recruiter is mostly assigned to a Manager or Lead BUT in practical Recruiter generally answerable or interface directly/indirectly with multiple points like Reporting Manager, Hiring Manager, end Customer, HR Head, Business Head, Employees, Prospective Candidates, Corporate Office, Vendors, Auditors and surprisingly at some companies any passerby for that matter. This makes the life of a Recruiter miserable and some gets burn out easily and wish to get transferred to some other role. How will you bring common sense to this senseless situation? Recruiter role is most interesting and creative one always so no need to worry, you can.  Try to adopt few tips detailed below-

1.    Being an Influencer –  Unlike other roles, Recruiters needs to influence internal and external stake holders – something similar to sales and service oriented roles. If you need to be a successful influencer in the Team or in the Company, you must have an in-depth understanding of the domain, technology, business, system and processes you are engaged with. Little tough to gain but not impossible. Have a good rapport with your colleagues, peers and seniors across the Company. Demonstrate passion for what you do and always communicate authentic manner.  Be on top of the things and never believe hearsays and in assumptions.  Be very methodical what you do and create visibility pro-actively – e.g. sending status updates, reports, attending meetings etc.

2.   Being a Listener – Listening is most important in all interactions with people – face to face, telephone or in any type of meetings. I am mentioning people because this is a habit which needs to be developed consciously. Better listening is achieved by practicing patience and this capability enable the other person to detail the thought in a uninterrupted natural way or even vent out (happily 😊). While listening, try to be in their shoes and understand the subject contextually without attaching any emotion; and most importantly never be in defense. Good listeners can smartly influence others with any opinion in an assertive way.

3.    Being transparent – Never try to create stories OR lie at any situation.  There will be enough bad news coming your way all through the day.  Informing the bad news properly with justification and solution is an art. Recruitment has multiple steps and it is important correct status is updated very frequently to all stakeholders at every step.  This will reduce anxiety among people involved and avoid escalations.

4.    Being a Child – You would have observed children can always seek attention in every situation. They also able to create a positive energy in and around you. Everyone enjoys playing with and helping a smart child.  Children never leaves a task easily and attempt it continuously without counting/worrying about the failure.  I would say bring in these qualities in you in every situation. Failure is inevitable. Only solution is trying hard till you succeed as a child. Therefore, celebrate every situation and have fun!

The last and most important quality is being a good negotiator. This will naturally come to you when you are able to practice the above-mentioned qualities.

I welcome your views and comments!!

Offer to Joning!! God Almighty help!

The title term pertains to Recruitment and it is one of the important metrics measured for the effectiveness of the recruitment department. A lot of hard work goes into each step from sourcing profiles through various means to the  final step of on-boarding. Hence any offer rejection amounts to a wastage of effort by Recruitment and the concerned Hiring Team. This results in loss of revenue and opportunities. I have been observing the pattern of offer rejections in India since 2006. The situation was very bad and the industry average for offer decline was at 50% i.e. if we give ten offer letters, only five will join. I always created a Candidate Relationship Management Team with a clear charter, and with the support of this team, we could improve and maintain offer to joining ratio above 75%. This used to be a hot topic in all our review meetings. Also to be noted is that this trend is not only for middle level roles but also for Entry level and Leadership roles.  I have not seen any change in the trend even when there was a slump in the market.

I am always surprised by the demand from the Business Team to find candidates who can join quickly. Though Project Management has matured in the IT Industry over the last decade or so, I have not seen any change in the practice of Customers/Delivery Managers asking the Recruitment Team to get an "immediate joiner" to complete a project.  Is it that the  Requirement Gathering and Project Plan processes fail every time?!! Is it due to competition? Is it that the Customer wants to burn the given budget in a particular quarter? There could be many reasons.  Interestingly in some organisations there will be employees on the Bench but the Project Managers/Sales Team will not find them suitable for one or other reason. 

I am also surprised to see the enthusiasm of my Team members when they get to see a matching resume with some good content against a burning business need. The Recruiter will run to the Delivery Manager and then both of them get on to a call with the prospective candidate; selling the opportunity, company, role, designation, salary, perks, location, training, canteen facility available, etc.etc. in an effort to select that individual!  The Sales Guy with Gucci sunglasses and a Tissot  watch will be right next to them saying that we must get this candidate ASAP as it is will open a BIG DOOR with the customer. End of the day, all go home happily thinking that they have zeroed in on a suitable candidate. The Recruiter will then be in close contact with the candidate only to realize on the day of joining that it is an Offer Decline. Disaster!

I have been trying various creative ideas to address this but there is no end to this menace. Let me narrate a classic example ......one of my Delivery Heads was in touch with a candidate who possessed a very niche skill. The Delivery Head was very confident that the candidate would definitely join. He checks the night prior to the joining day if the candidate is comfortable to take a morning flight but to his surprise, comes to know that the candidate has already reached the joining location! The Recruitment Manager is thrilled seeing the commitment of the candidate and goes for a dinner party. He again calls the candidate in the morning and comes to know that he has boarded the right bus at 7am and is on the way. At around 11 am, the  Recruitment Manager gets a call from the Delivery Head to ascertain the whereabouts of this guy who has reached the joining location the previous night. Then the chaos began!!! He  tried candidate's mobile number but found it is switched off. He cannot be reached. The Recruitment Manager even checked if there was any major accident en route.  He could never reach the candidate after that. We can solve a murder case after a decade and arrest the culprits but we cannot solve cases of offer decline!!! Mysterious! 

Why is this happening? In my opinion, candidates are pursued by Recruiters under pressure from Business Teams even if they inform them that they have an offer in hand.  End of the day, this results in confusion and forces them to come up with weird reasons like - death in the family, sudden accident OR disability, skin allergy, difference of opinion with wife OR husband, location challenge, food allergy, traffic jam and pollution, ‘stays in the South of a city whereas the opportunity is in the North’, ‘wants to work only in a development project’, ‘needs only on site assignment’, ‘current company offering better package’, ‘current Project Manager is so nice’, ‘climate not suitable for the Puppy’, ‘Gym not available’, ‘Water not suitable for Hair’  and any reason you can think of. There are also a section of candidates who will confirm the joining date but will have no reason for not wanting to move ......... and this intuition comes to them just the day before they have to join a new company!

I have no idea why candidates waste their precious time in taking interviews and discussions. What fun they have by keeping the Recruiters in the dark. The IT community is considered to be the most talented class in India, and the supposed to follow best ethics and integrity. To maintain this tag, I urge that it is high time candidates change their mindset and be transparent. At the same time, Business Leaders must think how can they avoid asking every time for candidates who can join immediately. Many a time, this means the Recruiter has to find candidate who is about to join another Company and start bidding for their salary which ultimately increases overall cost to the Company.

I suggest that Recruiters ensure the following -

(a) Screen candidates thoroughly ... try to be very upfront and understand their interest in the opportunity. Ask all relevant questions and identify the reason for a change .... this could be the Reporting Manager, Salary, Location, Role. If it is Salary, it is better to drop the candidate OR at least  take a confirmation on the budget you have and then proceed. 

(b) Observe the behavior and response level at each stage. e.g. response to emails, attending interviews, submitting documents, etc.

(c) Create a Candidate Relationship Management cell and specially monitor offered candidates - with a checklist and pattern. 

(d) Reject/drop candidates who behave erratically OR show lukewarm response - dont trust excuses and reasons.

(e) Insist on emails regarding resignation acceptance and relieving confirmation - this is very important as many a time, the project will accept resignation and forward to HR who will insist on relieving only as per Company norms whereas the candidate will misguide the Recruiter stating that resignation has been accepted.

(f) Never worry. Update the Business Team and Customer if you see a renege and go for a backup candidate.

With all these checks and balances, you may achieve an 80% Offer to Join.  The trend will change only when Candidates take this seriously and maintain transparency and Project Managers maintain better planning and avoid surprise ramp up requests!

God Almighty Help!

Who can be a Smart Recruiter!

There is a belief that anyone can become a Recruiter.  Most of the Managers believe that they know recruitment better than a Recruiter. I strongly disagree with both.   Recruitment is an art.   Many including me do not consider candidates who say that they want to explore Recruitment being part of HR. No, Recruitment is a specialized area in HR and at many places it is part of business operations. An ace Recruiter will demonstrate some distinctive qualities.  Let me try to explain - 

Being SuperTechy -  A Recruiter will demonstrate strong willingness to learn and understand technology and keep abreast of what is happening in the technology landscape. Many of the Recruiters and Hiring Mangers play with "Ctrl F" and short list or reject a resume.  But I had the opportunity to work with a few smart Recruiters who will talk to the Hiring Manager, understand what the prospective employee is going to work on, what are the dynamics involved in the project, what all are the soft aspects to be considered, which technology stacks are to be used and what the mandatory requirements to look for are. Another important skill is using various techniques and technology to source candidates  e.g. how to effectively use social media and mobile technology in recruitment. An ace Recruiter will thoroughly screen a candidate, gain confidence and then move forward to next level. 

Being a Voyager:  A good Recruiter will instantly be ready to take any risk. They would have already achieved something good while in school or at work.  I had Managers who were Karate Champions, a 3-time Mr Chennai, an Anchor for a Horror Series on TV and a couple of female recruiters who were a Taekwondo Champion and a Basketball player. So going the extra mile is an inborn skill.  A recruiter cannot have hobbies like "reading books" and "listening to music" and cannot be timid, play safe and avoid situations because many a times, the individual has to win the battle alone. So one of the most important traits to look for is whether the candidate has taken a risk in life or explored something new.   A heavily protected person from childhood may find it difficult to become a good Recruiter and face the challenges.

Being a Psychologist: Recruiters need to be good listeners and highly ethical. They also must have traits of strong judgement, opinion and influencing powers.  Recruiters cannot behave vaguely and be misguiding, I have seen my Team members counselling the candidates and at the same time influencing Hiring Managers to take the right decisions.  Recruiters can never win hearts by being egoistic and arrogant. Recruiters  need to deal with Customers, Candidates and Colleagues, both Seniors and Juniors, very diplomatically; influencing what is doable/achievable. Therefore, it is extremely important that a Recruiter is able to manage and win them over by demonstrating patience, influence and diplomacy.

Being a Fashion Freak:  Recruiters need to be up-to-date, be it wearing the best clothing and perfume, carrying the latest gadgets or driving a stylish bike/car.  He/She has to be the most fashionable among the colleagues and friends! This is to say that a  Recruiter must be aware of what is the latest trend in the market - anything and everything. I had a Manager who used to identify a Recruiter or HR Manager from a crowd.  He will challenge us in any party and identify HR Managers and Recruiters.  

Being a Nursery Kid: It is important that a Recruiter has the qualities of a child. Children have the habit of influencing and getting anything that they need. Children have the curiosity to learn and feel  no shame in asking questions.  A child will always be playful and similarly a Recruiter cannot be a serious personality . They need to be joyful always and enjoy each moment. 

Being a Celebrity:  A Celebrity is visible publicly, very flexible,  a role model who is looked up to, and love to spend time with people and engage them. A Recruiter needs to feel like a celebrity. Recruiters cannot have a fixed frame of mind.  I have seen some of my team members not sharing their photograph on social media. If a person wants to be in Recruitment, there is no way he/she can have reservations about their privacy. Celebrities are also highly responsible and make statements with sensitively. Similarly, a Recruiter should always worry about how they are being perceived by people around them.

Now many people will not have these qualities due to various circumstances but I have seen many being transformed with proper coaching and guidance.  In conclusion, I would say that Recruiters are specially made people who need to maintain class while dealing with the masses. 

The Story of Cook!

I invite attention to 1990s when all new age facilities like Google, Whatsap, Internet, Mobile phone were not there or not easily available. My friend had a Senior joining in his office in Delhi. Those days, if any one new comes, all will give utmost importance to make that person comfortable and settle easily. And now I am talking about a Senior who joined with my friend happened to be his Boss. One can think about the importance now!!

The Boss had only one and small demand and that was to get a good Cook. Most of them thought it is easy but had no clue as to how to get a good cook. But they had a nice guy Kailash in their office, the Go To Buddy!  He will make anything possible.  So all of them rallied behind him to somehow get a good Cook.  Kailash got hold of a Cook who is serving with one of the IAS Officers in Delhi. My friend arranged a meeting with the Boss and his family.  He got out-rightly rejected because he has no ability to cook all type of cuisine - Boss will have Guests who will be with varied cultural background so the Cook should know various types of recipes (keep in mind there was NO www.sanjeevkapoor.com those days). Kailash got another smart guy and they presented that Souh Indian Cook who lived with a Military Officer in North India. Kailash was very confident that  he cracked it this time.  My friend asked the Cook to meet Madam (Boss' wife) directly.  All were waiting for the good news but next day morning Boss was upset when he entered office . He called Kailash and blasted him as to why he sent a Cook whose personality and communication skill are pathetic  (Change in Job Description). As per Madam, the Cook should be able to handle/serve their Guests pleasantly so he must be presentable. Another new demand is that the Cook should also able to drive Bike OR Car to get provisions and vegetables from market independently. Tired Kailash found a Cook who is working with a Marwari family for 20 years and who can cook, drive and take care of kids too.  This time Cook got rejected because he is too aged and no energy!!! We debated this issue over a week end party as to how to please the Boss;  not delivering a Cook is now will be termed as a performance issue for many at office. We decided that we look for a Driver who can cook very well. Next day I also participated in the brief to Kailash to find a smart Driver who can cook. Kailash had a tough time and found a Driver who is working with a Start Hotel for long time.  He has exposure to cooking and ready to take up this job for money.   He was asked to get briefing from the Chef in the Hotel for various recipes before we arranged a meeting with Madam.  It took a week and then the Driver converted to a Cook met the Madam.  She was very happy to consider him as he comes with good background of working in a Star Hotel, smart and had all qualities including the zeal to learn! Rest is history.

If I look back,  this case becomes very relevant to all IT Recruitment I come across today. All HR principles of recruitment and dynamics relate to this case. There must be a change to this madness. One must know what is needed and who can do the job in the first place itself. There is no point in having 3 - 4 - 5 level interviews and go on rejecting candidates! I always wonder if the Interviewer was born to become what he or she is today! And the fact is each individual differs in personality and capability.  All reached a level just because one got an opportunity to learn and grow. We need to think using technology in selection process, take risk and give chance to the candidates who shows the hunger to learn and perform. We deal with human beings and cannot be customized in a factory!

2015 - year of Judgements

I did not realize that 2015 will be over so fast.  I spent a lot of time on reflecting me and the situations affecting my consciousness.  So it was full of judgments!!

First is about the judgement which I took to leave Polaris where I worked for eight and a half  years and was buried in the mundane work and thankless ... many would say this and agree ....Recruitment! I was always and  passionate about the brand Polaris; its culture and never wanted to leave this Company. However, certain interesting circumstances at work provoked me to think the value I carry. This is when I started toying up with various options and wanted to become an entrepreneur seriously. Consulted this thought with many of my close friends and all gave thumps up.  During this period, I happened to meet Ajay Kolla and couple of discussions landed me to Wisdomjobs.com.   Many advised me of the risk involved and thankful to them but taking Risk is not NOT new to me as in the past I left Mysore Cements Limited (into Manufacturing),  Delhi  where I worked for eleven years and relocated stock barrel to Hyderabad to join Intelligroup, an IT company.  I am just going by my guts and banking on my luck again!!!

Second is about my own judgement on some one.  I am staying in a community called Bollineni Hillside. This community may be having 1000+ families and out of which almost 120  families are from Kerala.  So there is a cultural outfit formed in the name of BHAMA. It is a real God's gift that few selected and good people landed here from God's Own Country.  This year I witnessed the third Onam celebration here.  I was also an active participant and committee member for the celebrations. We had a lot of struggle initially as there was not even single sponsor coming forward and we had no idea how to meet the expenses.  However, I was amazed seeing the motivation and spirit of few of the residents in organising various programs i.e. cultural programs, rangoli competition, painting competition,  sports, sadhya, etc. Since the finance part was very weak, there was a need to control the expenses carefully. We have a Treasurer and he hardly nods his head for any expense being asked for.  However, we had multiple Committees and each committee was given complete freedom to execute the part they are assigned to.  Committees also had sub committees.  Each program was in its class . Done Superbly! The quality of cultural programs was nothing less than a program where we go and watch paying 1000s of rupees. Participation in this whole activity gave me lot of insights and management lessons as to how to organise and execute a big project.  I cannot take names of people involved here as we had a consensus in the committee that we will not appreciate any individual specifically .  However, I have to take name of a person for a different reason and that is Sandeep Karunakaran who is so called Treasurer for BHAMA.  I can only tell that Sandeep is very unique and to cut short, many including me talk nonsense wherever we meet but this guy will always be sensible and never talks nonsense.  He will always demonstrate high values and will stick to certain principles whether you like or not. Sandeep has amazing talent of taking things practically - many a times he asked me this question during the Onam celebration arrangement.... Jayetta ithellam nadako? (Jayetta will all this work?) and also positively. He may appear to be reserved and an introvert but has wonderful capability of networking among his peers. 

The second part of judgement -During the Chennai Floods,  my co-brother passed away suddenly and had to rush to Pune with my wife Beena.  We had to leave my 84 years old father at home alone and had to request my neighbor Shine and Nisha to take care of him. Many may be knowing the trauma what all gone through wherein all struggled without water, power, internet, mobile connectivity for days together.   Sitting in Pune, I used to try all numbers of our friends in Chennai multiple times and will get tired. I used to observe Face Book every minute to see updates on Chennai Floods however nothing on Bollineni, about my father or friends. I and Beena were very worried and I was not able to sleep properly thinking the trouble Shine is going through to take care of my father.  Having said all good things about Sandeep, he is very poor in seeing messages in whatsap ... may be he is thinking its all junk.  So, there are chances he will check messages once in a week.  However, the first call I received during this period was from Sandeep seeing my messages in our whatsap group - not sure what made him to see those. First the call got disconnected and I connected him immediately and I was dumbfound the way he communicated to me.  He was his at best in telling all positive things about the whole situation making me so comfortable.  I asked him few question and his answer cent per cent positive and practical. His message made me so comfortable that day. Now this is an art which every one cannot have that in a bad situation like Chennai floods too, you have the guts to paint a positive picture and give the facts practically and positively. And these circumstances make to judge Sandeep to be very different and unique. I am lucky to have met him!

The year 2015 ended with lot of interesting events and judgement. It is going to be a different life now.

Conflict

I want to blog regularly.... But I am writing this after 18 months. I did not realize this. Phew!

I always liked the subject "conflict". How it happens? What type of people creates it? What situations trigger conflict?

In my early career I loved to see "conflict" at work  and even at times dragged to it unknowingly.  I always thought that was the way to show aggression, to put across a point or a tool to not bend self or to score a point on someone. During this period of my career, I thought this is the way to get good recognition but then created maximum hatred.  I looked back and realised that it never created any wealth but destruction in the long run.

As per me, creating conflict is natural behavior of  few people and also few creates it for individual /selfish -materialistic benefits knowingly.  I changed myself drastically when I reflected the simple advice given by mother who died in her 30s when I was a child.  She advised me to observe a person in a very simple way .... see how he/she behaves when crossing someone... as per her three situations can happen. First, both will stop for a second and give way. Second, one will stop automatically and the other will pass without a smile, greeting or eye to eye contact. Third, both will not stop and will cross same time.  The judgement to first situation is both are genuine and gentle, second, one who stops is gentle/cultured while the other is aggressive and in the third both are aggressive and can create instant conflict. Identify those and be away!!!  I related this to  day to day life in various ways. You can see people seeking permission and creating consensus whereas few pouncing on you.   Why is this behavior? Why cant people be patient, content and create consensus? I could not find the answer till today and if that was found, conflict at work place, family, country and in the world would not have been there.

Thus, I strongly belief that conflict is always created by  people purposely for some sort of gain........ every thing ........difference of opinion, different perspectives or beliefs OR expectation.  There is no situation where one cannot find a solution patiently and amicably.   If we look at Mahabharatha , we can see conflicts being created at many places.  There are personalities like Sakuni only to create conflict -  guiding benefit but resulting in destruction overall later.   You may see this kind of personalities in our walks of life and they will create conflicts continuously.   How do you identify and treat them is one of the capability one should develop.

As per me, constructive criticism should always be encouraged and not "conflict".  The meaning of conflict - to come into collision or disagreement; be contradictory, at variance, or in opposition; clash; to fight or contend; do battle; fight, battle, or struggle, especially a prolonged struggle; strife; controversy; quarrel,conflicts between parties;discord of action, feeling, or effect; antagonism or opposition, as of interests or principles; a conflict of ideas; collision; incompatibility or interference, as of one idea, desire, event, or activity with another - all are negative. I hate conflict and over the years, I realized that conflict only leads to destruction - even there could be some short term gain -  and it is never constructive.

Who will win Modi or Rahul?

 Kedarnath Temple Disaster is giving an advantage to Modi.  It is amazing the way he has taken advantage of the situation and for being with his native people.  I am reading in the news that NaMo landed there, created a task force, held discussion continuously till early morning with 2 IAS Officers  and an IPS Officer as to how he can help the Gujaratis to reach home safely. This is something commendable and shows his concern for the public who are in trauma. On the other side Rahul Gandhi is not seen anywhere in the scene!!! He just not seen anywhere in the media too. One can argue that Kedarnath Temple issue is related to a State and he may be busy in strategizing as to how  can he take India to next level. Will people of India appreciate this and his absence? 

I always respected and admired politicians on various issues.  I have great respect for Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Atal, Bal Thackery, Sushma Swaraj, Narasimha Rao and recently Jairam Ramesh and Narendra Modi. They led from the front.   We are witnessing the debate that next Prime Minister will be Narendra Modi or Rahul Gandhi. We know Narendra Modi has very authoritative way of functioning. This is possibly benefit for a State because the complete administrative control is with Chief Minister but  may not be the case when NaMo becomes Prime Minister because very few states are run by BJP. Is he good in working in consensus model?! Now let us consider Rahul.  Though he carries a charm to attract public in his rallies, he disappears from all critical incidents and controversies. A strong Leader need to drive from the front. How can India trust a Leader who does a disappearing act at every critical juncture!

While NaMo is emerging as an undisputed Leader of choice for PM within NDA, Rahul Gandhi needs to travel a long way. Same time, it may not be easy for NaMo  to become the PM as BJP may not get full majority as the internal rivalry may bring down the party. Congress on the other hand has to do some real wonders and godly act to capture the capital once again.

 At this point in time, I am not seeing any political party heading for clear majority. Meantime,  let us enjoy M-ODI - one day international of Modi till Rahul jumps in to the fray with a 20/20 series.