News
Services
People
News and Events
Other
Blogs

Ditch the CV

  • Posted

By far the most time intensive element of a HR department is recruitment.  It is also the area which has the most impact on the business, especially when you consider that half of new recruits are likely to leave within 18 months.

The reasons for a new hire not working out are numerous and can start with the wording in the job advert and go all the way up to the induction and training process, if they are in existence at all.

We are not alone as HR practitioners in believing that when recruitment starts with CVs that there will potentially be issues ahead.  Comparing the suitability of candidates based on their CVs will be like comparing apples and pears.  It is likely that misinterpretations and misunderstanding will happen and it will be no surprise to learn that many people will overstate their achievements and abilities, not necessarily to purposely mislead but to portray themselves in the best way possible.

Businesses should look at their recruitment failures and the cost to the organisation, according to the Recruitment and Employment Federation a poor hire in middle management with a salary of £42,000 could cost the business in excess of £132,000, and for more specialist roles that cost would increase substantially.

Using a more robust fact based process to collate the data will enable more meaningful decisions to be made.  Application forms can be tailored to what the business needs are and selection processes should include competency based questions relevant to the role and testing. We would also recommend that candidate’s data is anonymised to ensure that there is no bias involved.

FDR HR can assist with recruitment policies, tailoring of application forms, testing  and training on interviewing.  Contact  Kim Hayton Kim.Hayton@fdrlaw.co.uk or Kerry Mercer Kerry.Mercer@fdrlaw.co.co.uk  on 01925 230000 to discuss.