Engaging Your People for Success with Lisa Askwith IBGR onAir Talent Lisa Askwith

Recruitment 101- 4 part series


​1- Set up your playing field for recruitment success. 2- Build your recruitment structure- roles and responsibilities, key questions 3- The Perfect Interview- Situational questions, flow, and internal rating scale 4- Onboarding and Induction- Recruitment does not end at the job offer


Segment 1- Set up your playing field for recruitment success.


Contrary to popular belief, and often the biggest mistake made in this area, is it is not just about a good recruitment process. Yes that’s important, but if we really want to get this key people area right, we have to take a step back. Even before you have a great recruitment process you need several key items and knowledge in place, So let’s set up your recruitment playing field properly so it can support your recruitment plan and strategy.


These are; Company Brand……or lack thereof…..or worse negative reviews- this can be a massive red flag, particularly for great talent, who want to feel valued and create a career. What are you actually recruiting for? Is the role right? Who is managing the process? Are they actively involved? When was this last reviewed? Where do you find new people? Is the role competitively marketted/priced?

Segment 2- Build your recruitment structure- roles and responsibilities, key questions


One question I often get from my clients is centred around how to motivate people, and in reality there is only so much you can do, so instead try and look for this key personality attribute at the interview.


Interestingly, John Maxwell says that he gets asked all the time, “How do you motivate your people?” and his answer is very simple: “Hire motivated people.” You want to attract and hire the best talent in order to continue your development, and growth as a company. You can have great processes and great products but the execution of your business plan is dependent on the people in your organization.


Clear Technical Requirements – The eligibility - intelligence & competence - requirements are clear and consistently applied throughout your organization. Fit test – The character, personality, and other desirable qualities needed for the position are clear – often it is easiest to develop your own key list of attributes and rate the candidate on a short list using a 1-5 scale after an interview as this helps keep everything consistent. Agreed and appropriate Job Description needs to be available Job Description- don’t use an old one with the plan to fix it after you have employed someone!!!! List of tasks, duties and responsibilities that the job entails. Need to create an effective balance between breath and specificity. Job Specifications List of skills, abilities, knowledge and other characteristics that an individual must have to perform the job- this is where you need some not negotiable areas.


Develop a core set of situational questions that you use for every candidate you see for the role. This is not negotiable. Without this you risk internal bias taking over and you missing key issues or experiences. You need at least 3 strong core questions that you ask every candidate. Make them large enough for the candidate to need to go in-depth in the answer.


Ensure the same hiring manager is involved throughout the process to prevent bias or missed opportunities. As interviews are often spaced out due to work commitments on both sides. You also need to have an internal rating scale you can use that you can rely on to keep you on track between interviews. This means, develop something that gives you an idea of how the candidate made me feel during the interview, as these key things can be forgotten in the rush to catch up on work commitments. Remember it is the aim to hire for attitude and motivation as well as core skills and experiences. So a behavioral scale helps keep you on track.


Have a clear structure around responsibilities- Main interviewer, recruiter and additional interviewers. Decide in advance how each interview is run and who is responsible for each part or particular questions.

Segment 3 - The Perfect Interview- Situational questions, flow, and internal rating scale


1- Preparation is key


2- The actual Interview- define the interviewers roles based on the already preselected questions and needs……you can ask other questions, but you should have some preselected core questions you ask every candidate. I recommend a minimum of 3 situation questions that allow you to have a conversation around previous work outcome or achievement. As these give you the most insight and allow you to compare between candidates.


3- Divide the Interview into three parts 1-Welcome and introduction- explain the interview process for today- allows the candidate to become comfortable and relax. Ask topical questions to gain further insight into their character, and allow you to develop a gut feel for the answers. 2- Ask the candidate to review the last 10 years of their work history with you. You will ask questions as they go and after they finish. When they have finished if you have not already completed your preselected questions then review those. 3- General wrap up, give the candidate a chance to ask any questions that they need to. Plus ask any relevant final questions yourself, such as if you were successful, how long before you can start, what is your salary expectation and do you have and leave plans, or medical conditions that would stop you from performing parts or all of the role. At this point it is critical to give the candidate next steps, both for them and your brand. Don’t forget follow up


Types of questions to ask- Situational open and example driven, expect clear answers, look for I not we, Ask situational questions that are relevant to your workplace.


Remember this is about tailoring this key part of the recruitment process to your workplace! YOU ARE LOOKING FOR TRANSFERABLE SKILLS.

Segment 4​​ - Onboarding and Induction- Recruitment does not end at the job offer 






Onboarding






Once you have made it through the recruitment process and selected your new staff member, how you handle onboarding will play a massive part in if the person stays with the business and is successful. Of particular note is that every step of onboarding should be clear and agreed on by the hiring manager and the new employee, and this should be documented and signed against by both. Just like the hiring manager should run every step of the recruitment process.






Good Onboarding/ Induction plan






Done by the hiring manager- like recruitmentClear weekly agendaTime spent with the person to ensure any required training is clear and being utilizedHiring manager to review all training with the new employee as it is finished/passedClear program set out for the entire length of probation, and run by the hiring manager- milestones, expectations and meetingsFor the first week, the hiring manager should meet with the new employee daily at a minimum.For the entire length of probation the program should ensure the new employee has weekly meetings with the new manager to review their feelings of settling in, success, training, needs, and general work ability. As the new employee displays the appropriate skills and attitudes these meeting can become less formal, and if probation is to last for 6 months then the last 3 months may just be a monthly meetingFixed probation review meeting with workplace expectations that are clear and able to be reviewed.Clear objectives Most importantly- document everything!!!!





Great on boarding by and actively involved hiring manager- can stop mistakes too, not just keep great people






An open and clear Career plan backed up by accessible and relevant training will help keep your great people for as long as possible

What your employees want is something that often gets forgotten, or not understood in the rush to get business done, so I want to help you fix this, as without a real understanding you may build some fantastic programs for your people, but you won’t get the results you wanted, and worse still may risk disengaging them further!


To help get this right in your business,


Episode 5 focuses on what your people want, followed by 3 more parts to build your core;


Develop your leaders Develop your People Ensure your strategy and culture are Symbiotic not cannibalistic!


We have several generations to work with, baby boomers, generation x and generation z, with differing needs, however the great news is that being able to meet the transparency, accountability and lifestyle needs of gen z will actually benefit all generation of workers, as all workers actually enjoy the outcomes of this focus, and benefit from the programs offered to meet it.


So what are we really looking for when we consider the future workforce? Firstly they are value based and this means they want to receive value as well as be able to give it.


Key Areas to consider;


New value based workforce emerging and growing. Mass disruptions from Covid to WFH to AI. Change has become a constant. How you deal with this from a value creation point of view is key- you need to embrace and support change and help your people get to that point too. Establish a learning culture and mindset for and with your people. No longer after jobs for life- more flexible and the GiG economy is calling Need to upskill regularly, and want to do that. Won’t tolerate disrespect, like the past- They want acceptance, support and respect. Corporate Social Responsibility is gaining importance, and is now a requirement. Engagement is key- without it they will leave. Performance reviews need to change and embrace the new workforce. Access to supported learning and development is critical. Autonomy backed by rewards and recognition need to be part of the people strategy. Exit interviews are a must, but they must be run by HR. Your leadership team needs to be upskilled to support and drive all of this.

E6- Build your Core-Develop your leaders - 3 key steps to success


Develop your leaders- a recent study by Indeed showed that only 11% of businesses felt they had a strong or very strong leadership team bench strength!!!!! This is scary- think about what this means for not just your business outcomes but for your core- your people? They simply can’t be in a great space.


When it comes to getting the people right in your business and really capitalizing on your greatest asset, there are several areas you need to address.


Part 2 is focusing on your leadership team, and what they need to be capable of to be able to actually support your people and achieve success through engaging them rather than demotivating them.


Leadership buy in and support must be created- this is key otherwise you will just be wasting your money on training programs. Use 360 degree studies and culture surveys. Next 3 key leadership development steps for any business Core behavioral skills- these are what will engage your people and start on the right footing- use Grow first, and focus in on learning the situational open questioning style


Authenticity and servant leadership. Encourage your leaders and show them how to use their ‘stories’ in order to engage your people through empathy and emotion. Move to an agile or growth mindset. Ensure you leaders are trained in an Agile or Growth mindset, this is key for success over the long term, and being able to embrace and work with change. Great news is these programs can be cascaded down the organisation and should be to really capitalise on people engagement and success.


Your leaders are also subject matter experts- use them this way and encourage them to also run their own training programs- you will be amazed at the walls this breaks down and the value it brings. Structure these core points into your KPIs, and also your vision and mission, plus behaviour goals- this is a must to ensure it is alive in your business


Put cross functional teams under the leadership KPI’s to ensure this is all kept alive in your business