As we all know, recruitment is a major development issue. Over and above the cost of unsuccessful recruitment, it is above all a crucial investment for companies. So how do you integrate the recruitment process into a long-term vision for the company's development? Antoine Chaudron talks to us about recruitment as a lever for continuous innovation and onboarding.
Onboarding: a capital asset for the company
We all know that recruitment only ends at the end of the probationary period: that's why the onboarding period needs to be particularly careful. To define it clearly, onboarding begins on the day when the candidate and the employer sign a mutual agreement (or confirm their commitment to each other by e-mail), even if the future recruit is not yet physically present in the company. Similarly, onboarding ends at the end of the trial period.
As soon as this agreement is signed, the company enters a fragile period, because the future employee can leave the company at any time.
There may be many reasons for this (a better offer from a competitor, poor reception or poor follow-up during the trial period, etc.), which is why it is so important to get organised in order to keep this good candidate.
Hiring a new employee represents a major investment (cost of recruitment, training, salary during the trial period, etc.) that needs to be recouped quickly: the sooner the company successfully integrates the candidate and makes him or her operational, the sooner it will have succeeded in its aim.
Who should be involved in successful onboarding?
Of course, the HR department is the first to be involved. We can also count on the future N+1 or even N+2. They must be fully involvedin coordination with HR. For example, if the candidate doesn't join the company straight away, the N+1 must check in regularly or invite the future recruit to special events or meetings in order to maintain the candidate's interest. In addition, the candidate should be assigned a "tutor" who will liaise with the company's various departments, act as an administrative relay for all material matters and, above all, take any comments or complaints from the future new employee.
Implementing a continuous improvement approach
The tutor is therefore of vital importance from the moment the newcomer arrives, especially during the first few days, when he or she must not feel alone or left to fend for himself or herself. During this period, the tutor can (and should) pass on corrective messages if necessary. This requires a well-honed organisation and method:
- Drawing up an hour-by-hour schedule for the first 15 days;
- schedule a debriefing meeting at least every 2 days with the N+1;
- schedule a meeting with the N+2 every 15 days;
- plan an immersion in a particular factory, warehouse or department;
- plan the dates for the mid-term and end-of-course interviews.
It is up to the HR department to develop this organisation and, above all, to monitor each stage of the process in order to improve its effectiveness.
The company needs to be able to rely on a structured onboarding process that leaves plenty of room for the dialogue that can be opened up by a new employee's comments. After all, what could be better than a fresh pair of eyes to highlight both the positive aspects that need to be sustained and the shortcomings that need to be improved?
The specific nature of recruitment as part of a continuous improvement approach
In addition to onboarding, the six stages of recruitment must aim for excellence:
1- Writing the advert
Does it correspond exactly to the job description? Is the employer brand sufficiently promoted?
2- Sorting CVs
How is it organised? What are the priority criteria? How important are spelling and syntax?
3-The telephone pre-selection interview
Does the recruiter give a good first impression of the company? What happens at the end of the interview?
4- Face-to-face (or remote) interviews
Did the recruiter explain how the interview would be conducted beforehand? What questions have they prepared that are essential? What type of conclusion have they chosen? What image does the recruiter give through his behaviour?
5- The decision-making circuit
Who does the candidate have to meet? Who gives their opinion and how? Is it a collective decision, or does someone make the final decision?
6- Response to the candidate
Whether the response is positive or negative, the company must always give the best image of itself: how is the reply letter or e-mail drafted? What is the maximum deadline for sending it?
All these questions require clear and precise answers. Recruitment therefore requires the development and continuous improvement of a specific process that can be checked and verified at any time.
The mid-term interview: self-criticism and questioning
To prepare for this interview, the HR manager will have had prior discussions with all the employees who have been in contact with the new recruit. But this is only part of the interview: the other, very important part, consists of getting the new recruit to talk about and listen to his or her feelings on all subjects concerning the company (including the recruitment process in particular).
For this active listening to be useful, employees must be prepared to accept criticism and to question themselves. Under no circumstances should they oppose or justify themselves, otherwise the dialogue will quickly grind to a halt. This "listening" part can account for up to 70% of the mid-term interview...
What should the company be prepared to do?
Professionalising the recruitment process and the people involved in it means that recruitment is more sustainable, although there is no magic formula for achieving 100% of success.
Recruitment is a delicate process, with the recruiter(s) sometimes making mistakes despite their experience. Even if recruitment is perfect, candidates can change their minds right up until the last minute. That's why it's so important to question and continually improve the company's existing processes, with onboarding being one of the levers that is sometimes not sufficiently taken into account...
