HR’s role in recruiting and selection
By Nick at 16 January, 2007, 4:30 pm
There are many so-called best practices out there in recruitment and selection. In some companies, HR is involved in the initial pre-screeing. In others, a representative from the HR department sits in on the second interview with the hiring manager. In most companies that I know, HR does all the usual background checks, drug screening, employment testing, etc. How many companies have moved to a process where the HR rep does the initial first interview, but the hiring manager and perhaps another manager conduct the 2nd interview?
In some companies that have large HR departments, they have a Recruiting Manager position that falls under HR. This is the way it is suppose to be. Recruiting is an HR function, and not a sales function. The Recruiting Manager screens/interviews applicants and hires them; end of story. In some call centers, recruiters call applicants in for a second interview with a Call Center Manager, but this is rare. This could be the reason for the high turnover that exists in call centers.
In my last organization, the recruiters were the front line and did the intial, sourcing, qualification and interviewing of candidates. Hiring managers and team members did the next round but we (recruiters) were involved in preparing them for those interviews and debriefing the manager and/or team afterwards. We had input into the hiring decision (more or less depending on the particular recruiter’s relationship with the managers) although ultimately the decision lay with the manager.
I would recommend developing an interview training program if your managers are doing 2nd level interviews alone. Make sure everyone has gone through the training. You’d be horrified to learn what some managers ask in an interview! I have sat through an interview where the interviewer could not shut up and let the applicant speak. Interviewer training is a must.
Some organizations are still in the dark ages by keeping HR out of the hiring decision. The only input HR has is in the hiring decision is to check the paperwork for errors (and that often happens AFTER the applicant has already left). No longer does HR have the opportunity, nor the ability to review, much less select the candidate; conduct (nor participate) in the interview process; or offer our years of experience to the hourly and salaried managers about the applicant. Some do get to call the applicant in for the interview, only after the manager has selected the application, conducted the reference checks and told us to call this person in. Some people will say that it is better than nothing. One final point. If you are looking to drastically reduce your turnover, HR has to be involved as a strategic partner and not just a paper pusher. Being a paper pusher or administrative expert adds no value to your organization. So, all you HR people out there, count your blessings that you are involved and you can make a difference.
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