Filling in an order for personnel search

Several month ago one manager (whose company specializes in property leasing) applied for the service in our company. He needed 5 secretaries with fluent English, knowledge in business ethics, office work and who should be skilled touch typists. One more important fact was good looks. Two consultants guided the project and interviewed 4 or 5 candidates every day. There also were several tasks which helped to test knowledge in office work and English. In a week the manager chose 2 the most suitable candidates, it turned out that one had to clean his office. After this incident one of our consultants decided to meet with the Client and discuss all the details. She was surprised to find out that, indeed, the manager understood office work only as the tickets booking and hotel reservation.
We have decided to start with this real story not by chance. It often happens that recruiters get very strange, absurd applications for personnel search. Sometimes the Client specifies only the name of position, having no time and taking responsibility out of his hands. It is not only illogical but also very unprofitably to take such an order. We only need to compare expenses for the unknown specialist, time for his adaptation during evaluation period and the further effort and time to find a substitute. Here we can also speak about idle hours in the company, doubtful information, which the discharged worker spread throughout market. All these lead to heavy expenses, especially if it was the search for highly qualified specialist..

For example, personnel agency or personnel department gets an application to find chief accountant. If the Client gives information only about sex, age, education, working conditions, the number of inferiors, the list of business-accounting areas. It proves the fact that the search will take a lot of time and will not lead to the desirable result. The 1st mistake: restoration of the calculation - it is absolutely different requirement for the professional experience and absolutely different price for this candidate. Here it is of the utmost importance for the executor to find out all the details about the position and conditions. The 2nd mistake - selection of the candidate, who didn't fit in with the colleagues. The result speaks for itself: lost time, money for the search and, as it often happens, fueled tension between colleagues.
One of the key goals of personnel department of the company is to make the process more effective and manageable. It is impossible in case of absence mutual understanding between the Client and executer (HR manager or recruiter).
The most important and effective thing is to draw up requirements for the personnel search in a correct way. All the details must be coordinated with the Client, to be more exact, work periods, the executor and some other moments, which we are going to discuss in details.
1. Name of the position. Speaking about shop assistant, he usually has absolutely different responsibilities: sales, search of clients, negotiations with the clients. It depends on the product: b2b, b2c, the popularity of the product. The responsibilities of the candidate determine the requirements for his abilities, skills and experience, his motivation and personal traits of character. If we speak about an energetic, active, talented specialist but without any professional results, such person will never show good results, doing routine work with clients in the office.
So, it should be the most important part of application:
2. Concrete responsibilities of candidate. Sometimes the Client has an urgent need in assistant with fluent English and any other language. Here it is very important to find out, what language will be the most effective, what are the types of translation (written translation, interpretation, simultaneous translation). If we speak about specific goals, such as foundation of financial service in the company, introduction of a new product, we organize the search of highly qualified specialists, who have already have such experience and good results. As a rule, the salary of such specialists is quite high and sometimes the Clint is not ready to pay such money.
3. What are the reasons for the search? Is it a new position, distribution of responsibilities or discharge of an employee?
4. Job requirements. It is quite important to know the previous experience and achievements of the candidate. For example it is more effective to find novice for the position of a cashier instead of an experienced person who knows a lot of ways how to steal money.
5. Knowledge, skills, experience of the candidate. Some work requires special knowledge, especially medical and education sphere or management. In each case the Client decides whether he is ready to employ highly qualified specialist of take a novice and spend money and time on his training. The candidates` abilities are also quite important to fulfill their duties in this moment and in the perspective. It speaks about the fact that in the moment of application formation it is necessary to find out the candidates` perspectives concerning their professional and career growth. It is also quite important to make Clients understand that there is no need to look for the best candidate, because he can find the company, which can offer him more interesting responsibilities and conditions. HR Director, having experience in implementation of training and assessment system, will never be interested in the position, which combines the responsibilities of recruiter and personnel inspector for the long term. Furthermore it is necessary to mention specific requirements for the candidate, if it is needed to fulfill the responsibilities, for example: the ability to keep a secrete (especially for accountant, personal assistant, sales-manager), the ability to switch over from one task to another, the ability to make quick decisions (work with client, management).
If the Client underlines this or that ability or skills, he should answer to the following questions: how and when should the candidate use it? What is the reason for its use? Due to these steps the result of the search will be more effective and the decrease of discharges during evaluation period will be maximal. It is also quite important to pretend recruiters to take any absurd order. Moreover recruiters and Clients must remember that the order for personnel search is bilateral and presupposes the collaboration of both sides. Getting an order for the search of "creative key accountant", the recruiter should try to explain that the activities of such specialist can lead to the appearance of problems with tax departments and find out what the Client means by "Creative key accountant".
6. Education. It is clear that sometimes there is no chance to fulfill the duty without higher education, but it is also often happens that there is type of work, when it is enough to have only secondary education. Furthermore nowadays it is well known fact that higher education leaves much to be desired. To add to this, many modern educational establishments sell diploma papers on the instalment plan instead of teaching.
7. Sex and age. It is usually formal requirement and it is quite absurd to make sex or age restrictions, concerning rare positions.
8. Physical condition and health. These requirements are important if we speak about worker professions: loaders, drivers, engineers. Here we can add endurance, absence of problems with musculoskeletal system, which often concerns shop-assistants.
9. Personal characteristics. It defines only by common sense: salesperson should be aim-oriented; seamstress, accountant and driver must be diligent; commutability is good for communication and minus for the work which requires focus.
10. Work conditions, bonuses and compensations. The application should contain the detailed description of these conditions, what the salary depends on. If the Client is ready to discuss the salary, it is important to find out the conditions when the candidate get minimal or maximal salary.
11. different information which can influence on the process of search: business trips (local or foreign), the necessity and frequency of overtime work, work atmosphere, type of corporate culture, the phase of development of the company.
Only effective collaboration of both sides can lead to success. It often happens that the Client changes the requirement for the candidate during the process of search and interviewing or just ceases work in search.
One more problem for the effective search is stereotypes of the Client and recruiter, for example restrictions in sex and age. In Europe the employer, who has placed advertisement for the search of men in age from 25 to 45, can be sunpoenaed. Unfortunately, it often happens in Russia. Sometimes it seems quite reasonable to search for men for the position, which presupposes overtime work, frequent business trips, but it is also quite reasonable not to write that it is needed a young man, but an active, brisk person. Notwithstanding all these, the most effective is clearing of the requirements for competences, skills, knowledge and personal characteristics of the candidate.

It is of the utmost importance not to forget to discuss the vacancy placement. The advertisement should meet the following requirements: it should attract suitable candidates and cut off inappropriate. It is better to begin the description not with the requirements and responsibilities but with advertising:
«Stable manufacturing company (area of industry - consumer goods, 10 years in market), is searching for...»
Here we see specifics and seriousness. It is possible to find the official site of the company and read about it in details. Then it is reasonable to mention the name of position and work conditions, including salary level, but it must not be overstated. It is not necessary to indicate the income, which the candidate can get in case of working the whole day and night. The Clients` honesty helps to save their own time and money. Anyway the candidate , at the interview or during trial period, will understand that it is impossible to get previously discussed sum of money and give up his job.
Then the place of work is indicated: region, the nearest metro station, transference. Sometimes the problem of traffic jams can be the decisive factor to accept or decline an offer. It does not concern top positions with high salary and interesting responsibilities.
The mention of packet of compensations, extra conditions, operating schedule makes the advertisement more attractive. Here it is important not to overdo it. The Client should be honest and not to mention about extra training during work, if it includes only the reading of job description. It can result in the loss of the candidate and their time and money.
The second part of advertisement is job responsibilities. The description can be taken in the order for personnel search, mentioning specific character of the position. For example, for such position as "Specialist in logistic" it is necessary to indicate the type of logistic: transportation, containerized, multimodal, Foreign trade activities. It speaks about the differences between the requirements, skills and knowledge of a candidate. This information is quite important for the candidate to get them interested in the position. If there is no detailed description in the order for search, it is possible to take it from duty regulations. When the presentation of the vacancy is ready, it is necessary to coordinate it with the Client and alter it, if there is such necessity.
The final part - requirements. Here it is necessary to innumerate key skills, requirements for knowledge, required competences and desired personal characteristic of a candidate. The absence of this or that detail usually results in the increase of undesirable work and responses of unsuitable candidates.
As an example how not to do it, we can demonstrate the following advertisements:
Female. Age 22-32.
Registration: Moscow
Higher education, juridical is better. Work experience is from 2 years as a lawyer and as a manager, steady for stresses, experienced PC user (Word, Excel-formulas), place of residence is not far than one hour from metro station "Riverside station".
It is quite strange that the employer is looking for a manager aged 22 years. Being a 22 year old student, the candidate must have 2 years of work experience, working as a manager or HR manager.
Age - 23 - 45
Higher education
Female
Vacancy discription
Responsibilities:
1. Control over the accounting department staff;
2. Knowledge in export operations;
3. Formation, control and coordination of the payment request in administrative programs;
4. Making-up and balance change of several legal entities;
5. Preparation and control of sales ledger and purchase book;
6. Calculation and preparation of the profit tax;
7. Conduct of expenses sector.

Requirements:
Knowledge in export operations.
1С 8.1, 8.2, 7.7, Consultant+.
So, such major position as Deputy key accountant does not contain such requirements as special knowledge and experience, notwithstanding the fact that he will have to hand in accountability to several legal entities. The person, who made this advertisement, does not know terminology quite well, because "export operations" are usually called "the section of FEA", exchange business and drawing up the passport of transaction. It is not clear why age restrictions are from 23. Where does a young candidate gain such experience and acquire such skills? Formation, control and coordination of the payment request in administrative programs are more related to the responsibilities of economist. So, the fact is that the Customer tried to combine incompatible.
Publishing the advertisement it is important to remember that very few top-managers are looking for job in printed matter. Putting on website, it is necessary to take into consideration the tags: there is no use to post the vacancy of sales representative of industrial electronics in the retail trade section. There is also opportunity to update the vacancy without restrictions, what can attract the attention of target audience.
The work of recruiter is not finished with the post of vacancy. He gets the candidates` responses and historical data, what kind of responses, how many and when. If candidates do not conform to the requirements, it is necessary to reallocate vacancy to other section, correct the name and description. In a critical case it is necessary to analyze labor market and compare work conditions with the requirements of labor market. It will be more effective for the Client to review the conditions in the order for search, than to spend money and time in vain.