As a business person applying for jobs, I have found that despite all of our existing social media networks, apps and platforms, that there are still gaps in the recruiting system, they we need to remedy. Therefore, here are my thoughts on what could be done to improve the recruitment process, both for my self and others.
For example, at the time of writing, my current contract is due to expire. This as a recruiter told me, is 'the way the market is going now' - with many of us on fixed term or temporary contracts, because employers are worried about Brexit and what to expect. And it is certainly true that as careers officers often tell us: it makes sense to be in a job while applying for your next one. But the recruitment process as it stands, makes this very difficult to move into that job.
For one thing, the One Click Apply system we have, usually means that the role i click for is handled by an agency. This in itself is fine; i work on a contract through one now. But what then happens is that the agency recruiter then calls up, enthusiastically wanting me to either come in and register, or come and meet them in person. Which i cant do of course, because I am in a full time job. I appreciate that they are trying to break the ice, but time constraints make this impossible for people like me.
Then there s the screening process itself. In fairness, from my Compliance experience, I am well aware that by law, all candidates must be fit for work and trustworthy for work. They must therefore all have DBS (criminal record) checks, health referrals, and have satisfactory employment references (which i write) in place before they can be hired: there is no getting around this.
But for one role I applied for, I was then asked to drive several hundred miles to a designated checking centre for that company, and have my DBS check before even having my second interview.
As you can imagine, for people like me, who are already in a full time role (albeit a temporary one), there simply isn't enough annual leave to keep coming out to all the interviews that new employers may require.
Not only that, but there are times when the rules contradict one another: nowhere more so than when it comes to disclosure of candidate information vs data protection. For example on one occasion, an agency recruiter phoned up to say he d seen my CV online, and could we meet informally in a hotel to discuss and hand over my documents? This kind of informal get together has been used by a few agencies i ve applied to, but it throws up and obvious question. The recruiter always has to have your passport and other documents before taking you on: but would you seriously give you lr passport to a total stranger you just met in a hotel?
So while the DBS (criminal records) checks, are absolutely necessary to make sure someone is trustworthy for a role; I just dont see the point in having to apply for one again and again for each role, unless (I am told) you successfully can have one transferred. But surely, like a Driving License, a single DBS certificate could be held by the same candidate, and updated centrally from the national database, according to any criminal convictions, fines etc, a candidate may since have had? After all, driving offences are put on a person's license record, without having to send them to the DVLA every time: so why not do the same for DBS certificates?
Then there's the issue of headhunting. Many times, potential recruiters, including some founders of companies, have looked at my profile on LinkedIn, and yet none have directly approached me about a project they may be working on. Of course I accept that my profile is hardly the best, and there is an abundance of world class talent on LinkedIn of far more qualified and skilled candidates who are more suitable for headhunting. But all the same, I think more could be done to streamline the process, by making it easier for entrepreneurs and VC's to headhunt the rank and file and mid market candidates they need.
The other challenge is one my pet peeves: application forms. Once upon a time, it made sense to ask every applicant to fill out a form, giving their contact details, education and employment history, and the details of referees for references. Back in the 1990's for example, I remember that not every employer had a computer system that could store this kind of data, so you always had to fill in a new form every time you applied for a job.
All well and good, but things have now moved on. As countless careers officers have said, and employers have admitted, everything is now online. Our details can be found everywhere from LinkedIn to Dropbox. Recruiters can know our employment history, contact details and references at the click of a button. So why is it then, that every time I apply through an agency, I am then presented with a form to fill in, that asks for the same details that are already on my profile?
Let me be clear here: I believe it is a pointless waste of everyone's time, to ask applicants to fill in the same basic information again and again, when employers already have access to this information. Now in the 21st Century, all they need do, is access my LinkedIn profile and others, to find all the basic info they need. After all that isn't that what LinkedIn is supposed to be for?
Asking an applicant to fill out the same application forms, is like asking us to use a typewriter in place of a Tablet or Smartphone. Typewriters are now out of date technology. Their functions are incorporated into our keyboards, but the machines themselves are no longer used. Not only that, but I find it insulting and patronising to ask candidates who have worked for years, to fill in forms as if they had just started full time work: we did this years ago. Please don't ask us to do it again.
Having worked in administration, I say that the process needs to be streamlined, so that we are only asked for a piece of information once. For example, instead of asking candidates to undertake a Word and Excel test for every agency they sign on to, there should be a standard certificate that we could have to give to employment agencies, to save us all some time.
By scrapping conventional application forms, and having a standard set of certificates - both DBS, and basic skills - I think we could speed up the recruitment process for jobs in the UK, and make it a lot more efficient.
And while employment agencies may help with some applications, I think we need a more direct approach to recruitment for small to medium businesses. This is what I hope to address in a project I am working on, to build a new kind of business app, to tackle these issues. If you would like to discuss, please feel free to comment below, or visit the following links below.
These are my frustrations about the recruitment process, and my suggestions as to how they may be improved. They are my own opinions, but I hope that by sharing them with you, my colleagues throughout the recruitment profession, you may be able to put some of these issues right.
Best Regards
James Megarry LLM, LLB, LCM
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7495433
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